One-Shot At It
by TheyAlwaysUseADagger
Summary: Have you ever wanted to see me write a one-shot off something? Now, you get the chance to give me suggestions! Sometimes there will be some requirements, and sometimes you can go wild! So come see what this is all about, and suggest something for me to do! Rated T for violence.
1. Author Note

**Haha, hurray for creative names for stories! xD I know we aren't supposed to start stories with an author's note, but this sort of story really needs it, so I hope you can bare with me. This is going to be an interesting experience! Hopefully you guys think this is interesting, and hopefully this will help me have something to do on the bus, as I want to write An Unfortunate Fairytale fanficiton on the bus. xD  
**

 **I also know I said I wanted to see what popular opinion thought about this sort of thing (I mentioned it in the latest update of Counting Stars) but I decided to do it anyways. Hopefully that wasn't a mistake!**

 **Basically, every update I will have a one-shot about something that** ** _you_** **guys decide. Mind you, I don't write smut or anything like that. Sometimes you guys will have no limits, and other times I want certain things suggested. I'll write the next one-shot on that then.**

 **This round is anything. So go wild! After there are three reviews, I will pick one and write a one-shot on it. If for some reason I can't write anything based off of anything given, I may wait for other reviews, or come up with something randomly. You guys can also suggest two things, if you have two ideas?  
**

 **I kinda got the idea from Evx's Bash idea when she told me about it. ;)**

 **~ Dagger**


	2. Meague Time!

**Number One - Meague Time!**

 **I've decided I'm going to be going with heywassuphelloo's idea! Meague is always fun, after all. I'd like to give a shout out to Guest though too! It was a very cool idea (I am obsessed with Once Upon a Time cx), I just don't think I can do a one-shot on it. That idea is more of a full-out fanfiction. c:**

 **Hopefully you guys like this! I've decided instead of doing my general three reviews per chapter rule, I'm gonna go with saying that I'm gonna roll with the reviews I have that day! That means I could potentially have a ton of reviews, or one. I will try to have one every day that I'm riding on the bus (or every time, as I could potentially have to ride a bus more than once) so you guys will just have to wait and see how this plays in.**

 **Also, I don't think I put this out there before, but if for some reason I can't click with any of the suggestions given to me, I will totally go all improv and do it myself. However, I will try my best to use one review or another for the one-shot.**

 **Enough of my rambling though! Enjoy the story!**

 **Oh, one last thing. This takes place after Fairest, and it's kind of pushing Fable back further than it really is. ;) And this is Mina's point of view. (I can count! XD)**

* * *

I bite my lip, fiddling with my pencil as I stare at the homework in front of me. I honestly have been feeling so drained by the training Jared has decided is absolutely necessary, and because of that I've been having trouble staying focused during classes. I don't understand anything we learned today in english, math, history, or any of the other ones.

My gaze moves to looking outside my window. I could go see Nan for help, but she's probably on a date with Brody. If she's not, she'll probably want to talk to me about that, and I honestly am not in the mood to discuss that sort of thing with her. I never am interested in talking about my ex-boyfriend-who-no-one-remembers-was-my-boyfriend, but she hasn't fought on. Plus, I really need to get this done and try and at least not let my grades drop down any further. I could go see Ever, but that would only work if I knew where she lived. I could try and see Brody, but even with him sitting at our table now I don't know if I could work up the guts to call him up on the phone and ask. Which leaves Jared as my last option. Sighing, I begin to reach for the Grimorie.

"Or you could pick me." The low voice comes from behind me, extremely quiet and seeming to have read my mind. I don't expect it and I'm completely taken by surprise by it, nearly having a heart attack.

I nearly let out a startled scream, but a hand covers my mouth to keep me from doing so. I thrash, trying to break free, but they've grabbed my hands and quickly have them tied behind my back. Too quickly. Fae quickly. Oh, shoot! There's a Fae in my home!

"Calm down and you won't get hurt." Again, the voice is right by my ear. I can feel their breathe on my ear from how close they are, but I don't dare turn my head and look. I slowly stop my writhing, not wanting to get injured. "You are not to make a sound. Understood?"

I nod, and the hand slowly removes from my face. I keep my lips sealed, not wanting to get myself into anymore trouble than I'm already in. Slowly, I'm blindfolded along with having my wrists bound. This situation couldn't get any worse.

No, wait, I need to revise that statement. This situation is going to get a lot worse.

They grab my shoulder, and with what sounds like a snap of fingers, the world seems to tilt horribly. I can't help the sick feeling that welłs up inside me, and barely manage to keep myself from puking. Ugh, whatever just happened is not pleasant at all. And I think I can deduce what happened.

I begin to shake my blindfold off, but I start talking before it's all the way off. Actually, I start before I even can see. "Teague! You royal pain of an idiot! What is this about?!"

As soon as I can see, I take aim with my foot - he really should've tied those up too if he wanted to be extra careful - and try to kick him in his extremely sensitive spot. He moves out of the way before it connects, sadly.

"Behave yourself, Mina." He reprimands me, and I glare at him. "I told you that if you remained calm and didn't fight it, you wouldn't get hurt."

Dressed in all black as usual, his blue eyes watch me, sparkling with mischief. They remind me quite a bit of his brother, Jared. Honestly, now I'm a bit nervous. The Story isn't supposed to take me on ti the Fae plane...

"What is this about?" I repeat.

"I'm bored, Mina." He says it like it's obvious.

"Why are you bothering me about it?!" I continue to glare. "I have homework to do!"

"Oh, you can stop worrying about homework." He waves it off likes it's nothing. But I gape.

"What? Why?"

"Well now that you're here it's not like I'm going to just let you go." Again, he says it like it should be obvious.

"What?!" I shake my head, trying to control my emotions when I hear this.

"I want to see Jared squirm when he realizes you are gone." Teague gives his Cheshire smile as he begins to hover and recline a bit off the ground. "And you are my favorite Grimm." He winks. "You're extremely fun to mess with."

"You don't annoy me enough on my roof?" I'm still trying to process my situation.

"Ah, but you can run away on your roof, back into your room. You can't do that here." He steps a little closer after dropping back down to the ground. I take a step back.

We continue this process till I'm slightly pressed up against the wall. "T-Teague...?"

"Hm..." He tilts his head, still smirking. "Do you love him?"

This takes me by surprise. "Love who?"

"Jared."

"Uh...I don't know?"

Again, he contemplates this. "Have you ever kissed him?"

"Once." The word is mumbled.

What he does next takes me completely by surprise. He kisses me. He. Kisses. Me. It's quick, but I find myself instinctively kissing him back. Shoot, shoot, shoot!

He pulls away, and a smirk takes his face. The twinkle of mischief grows. "Interesting..."

My face goes beet red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." He's humoring me. "Well?"

"Well what?" I don't know what he wants me to say.

"Am I a better kisser than Jared?"

"What?" Now I'm extremely taken by surprise. My face is getting even redder.

"You heard me."

"I'm supposed to tell you that?!"

"That answers my question." His smirk gets even cockier.

"Shoot." I try to shuffle past him, but he pulls me into his arms. "Mph! Teague!"

"I thought you enjoyed this?" He's enjoying this, not me!

"Teague!"

"What?" He pretends to be innocent.

"Teague!"

"How about I let you go if you say it?"

I know what he wants me to say. "No."

"Say it..."

"No!"

"I guess you must really like me hugging you then."

"Fine! You're a better kisser than Jared!"

He chuckles, releasing me. "I always knew it." Then, he winks. "I think there's more to that stament though. And I will get it out of you."

"You will not." I shake my head stubbornly.

"Whatever you say..."

* * *

 **What did you guys think of the story? Was it good? Bad? Let me know!**

 **For this next round, give me a guy, a girl, and a place!**

 **~ Dagger**


	3. Stop Kissing In My Room!

**Number Two - Stop Kissing In My Room!**

 **I forgot to mention this last time, but if I don't say to do whatever you want or have it come across that you have freedom to do whatever as your suggestion, please only give me what I ask for. c: Thanks! Also, make sure you follow the requirements, as I said a guy, a girl, and a place.**

 **Pyromaniactic Pineapple: I am considering a possible separate story, or having other one-shots relate to that one. ;)**

 **Guest's idea of Annalora and Teague at Mina's house has won! These things were all selected, as there was a plan to have these things involved.**

 **I will also try to write Nix and Ever and bathroom at some point, Roseberry. :) I agree they are underappreciated.**

 **This obviously takes place after Reign! :D And it's Mina's POV.**

* * *

Getting home from school, I hurry up to my room. As I step closer, Erjad hums a little in my pocket, vibrating against my pocket. What is that about? It's never done that before. Now confused and slightly worried, I step towards my room's door. The closer I get, the louder the hum and the more violent the vibrations become.

When I open the door, all I can do is gape. Teague is in my house. Sitting in my room. On my bed. Kissing someone.

And not just any someone. The ugliest gnome in the history of gnomes. The evil little creature that tried to murder me in the maze.

Annalora.

I really hate her, and that hatred gives me back my voice. So, I say the first thing to come to mind. "You stupid Fae have five seconds to quit kissing and get out of here before I puke!"

I let out an awful cough, and honestly think I might barf as they pull away. Teague's arm stays around her, and I latch onto my hatred and disgust, making sure there's no room for any other emotions.

"Get out of my room!" I glare at them, still making sure I don't barf.

"Oh, this is where you live? I thought-" Annalora doesn't finish her statement though, and her eyes fasten on my pocket. "What is that?"

"W-What?" That's the pocket with Erjad in it. Shoot.

It seems like she figured it out on her own though, because she steps closer. "How did you get that?" She seems a lot more threatening now.

"I-I-I got it from Ferah." Teague just looks confused as to what is going on, and I don't think I want him to realize what's going on. Better to keep the Story in the dark right now. Besides, I'm not totally lying. I got it from Ferah after she'd plunged it into Teague's chest.

"Stupid elf. She never did understand what that thing was. And neither do you." She extends a hand, not even bothering to say that I need to hand it over.

"Well, what is it?" I take another step back.

"It's a dagger, idiot."

"I know that, dwarf!" She seethes at my insult. "I just want to know what I don't know about it!"

"It's made from gnome hatred, forged in the deepest, darkest crevices. Our ancestors made it long ago, but destroyed the instructions to make more. That is the last one, and the idiotic elf stole it. We're lucky a piece was broken off. When that stabs into someone, it'll infuse darkness inside of them. That'll kill anyone but the strongest of Faes, which are generally Fates. Once someone is stabbed with it, the darkness and hatred is gone." She stretches her hand out closer, as Teague frowns. "Now hand it over."

"Dearest, what is that thing you are talking about specifically called?" Ew, cutsie little nicknames? Really? I feel like puking again as I slowly begin to slip back towards the stairs.

"Erjad." I can see Teague's eyes light up as he stares into Annalora's. "And I want it back. Now, Gimp, hand it ove-" She stops short, and then yells, "Gimp, get back here!"

I'm already out the front door, but I can hear her. And I can still hear her as she begins to shout gibberish that I can only assume is Fae swearing. They're following. I take off into the woods. I have to lose them long enough to do what needs to be done. I let my small bit of jealousy that Annalora had Teague kiss her go. I don't need that anymore.

After running for a while, I bring the now only slightly humming dagger from my pocket. It shakes a little as I get it in position. One little push. That's all I need.

"Mina." The voice is a mere whisper, but I'd recognize it anywhere.

"Jared?" Turning around, I see him. He's basically transparent, flickering in and out of sight as he approaches. "I'm coming soon."

"I know." He nods, taking my free hand. I can almost feel him. Almost.

"I'm sorry." Small tears threaten to spill from my eyes as I look at him.

Jared shakes his head. "It's not your fault. It was bound to happen." He squeezes my hand, though I barely feel it. "We'll both be free of our curses after it."

That alone is all it takes to solidify my confidence. I shove Erjad into my chest.

The pain, darkness, and hatred are overwhelming and powerful. I fall to my knees, letting out an anguished scream. Arms enfold me, though hard to feel. And then someone - I think it's Jared, but this blind anger is making it hard to think straight - begins to sing. It's the one thing that let's me die peacefully.

It's in a Fae tongue. And as my eyes close and I kiss my life goodbye, I understand the last line I hear.

 _I'll love you past this life of mine._

And I only wish I'd had time to say I felt the same.

* * *

 **And one more story one-shot is coming!  
**

 **~ Dagger**


	4. I'm Going To Give You Five Rules

**I'm Going To Give You Five Rules**

 **Here you go, Roseberry007! Nix and Ever have arrived!**

 **Also, I think I didn't mention this before either (look how forgetful I am), but if you want me to include a character from one of my own stories that I have on here, you can totally include them! Grimorie, Peter Piper, Edward, or anyone else you can think of are totally able to be picked. ;) Also, if you're wanting to see someone who I gave more personality to (like in Wonderfully Wonderful Villains) I'm up for that too!  
**

 **This is from Ever's POV.**

 **It also isn't the most amazing story ever, and it's kind of short. Sorry. ;-; I was having trouble, as I couldn't write from Nix's perspective. I'm not a guy, after all. xD So sorry if this isn't amazing. I hope you guys like it anyways!**

* * *

"Alright, Nix." I lead him up to the doors, and take a deep breathe. "It's time for you to learn about using the bathroom here on the human plane."

"I know about bathrooms, Ever." He's all offended now, and I just shake my head.

"Not human bathrooms."

"Fine." He's very begrudging.

"First, let me give you a few rules. First? You have to go in the guys' restroom." I point to that door. "Not in the girls'." I point to the other door. "Second? You must not eat anything in the bathroom. Third? You cannot drink anything in the bathroom. Fourth? Have some sense of privacy. Fifth? Have some sense of personal space."

"Alright." He grins, and I just have to hope he listens.

I begin to go into the girls' restroom, and he tries to follow. "No. You go in the other one."

Shrugging, he walks in. As I enter the girls', I see Mina at the sink. She glances up, and grins.

"Showing Nix bathrooms, right?" She raises an eyebrow, and I nod.

"Yup. Don't know if he heard a word I said though."

She laughs. "Good luck. And thanks for helping."

A few minutes later, I'm waiting for Nix outside. And when he comes out, he's soaking wet, and shaking himself out like a dog.

"Nix!" I have to keep myself from screaming. "What did you do?!"

"That place is filled with water! It's awesome!" He pulls me into a wet hug, and all I can do is groan.

He doesn't understand. But I'll teach him. I'll forgive him for not following my rules too. What else could I expect from a nixie?

* * *

 **What did you guys think of these two one-shots? Were they good or bad? I love feedback on these sort of things!**

 **For this round, I need a Person A and a Person B! Just that! Nothing else!**

 **~ Dagger**


	5. Dagger Can Almost Write Jarina?

**Chapter Four - Dagger Can Almost Write Jarina?**

 **Sorry I've been gone for so long people! I've been feeling rather uninspired and I've been trying to find my muse. To make up for it, how does a few one-shots sound? I promise I will try and update my actual stories later. This chapter is dedicated to the person who got me to start writing again because they gave me an idea. That person would be MusicalDivergentTribute! I will be using their idea (which does coincide with some of the suggested one-shots). From now on, instead of giving you guys stuff to answer, just suggest people/things/ships/etc that you want to see, and I'll see about one-shotting it! You can even suggest small plots, although I may deviate from that.  
**

 **I'm not going to respond to all the reviews because so many were plots suggestions. xD I'll try to do a few based specifically on those reviews though, seeing as I'm doing multiple!**

 **I'll be trying to do multiple one-shots right now, so we'll see how it goes. cx It might not work, so no guarantees!  
**

 **This takes place after Fairest, by the way! Also, this might look like a Meague one-shot at first, but I promise it is going to be Jarina. But honestly, did you expect _me_ to pass up a chance to put some Meague in to a story? That just wouldn't be like me! X3**

* * *

 _Mina's POV_

* * *

I sit on the back of a motorcycle, almost managing to believe that I'm riding with Jared and forget why I am actually here.

Till I remember that the person I'm riding with isn't dressed in gray. And that he's not Jared. And that I'm here for a rather dangerous reason. And that if things go badly I may be doomed.

I realize that I've let my grip tighten around my driver's waist, and quickly loosen it while my cheeks go pink. I really should not have tried to believe that Jared was driving me. There's no doubt now that I won't hear the end of this. That is, if I don't make a wrong move. I'm in a dangerous position here, and this is a dangerous game. I shouldn't have let my guard down.

"So you obviously weren't trying to strangle me." The driver speaks, teasing me much like Jared does. Although his teasing has a much more dangerous edge to it than Jared's does, warning me once again not to believe they're the same. "Although I suppose you would've been gripping my neck if that was what you intended to do. I'm assuming your cheeks are going that lovely pink they normally do now that you realize not only did you do that, but I noticed."

That comments succeeds in making my cheeks go a noticeable pink.

I catch the driver's blue eyes look over his shoulder for a second, and for half of a second I see his sly grin. "Ah, just as I suspected. I can understand why Jared's attracted to you. The pink matches the strawberry smell well."

Which, of course, just makes my cheeks go an even darker pink. "Oh, shut up, Teague, and just focus on getting us wherever you're intending to take me."

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we're almost here." His smug voice let's me know he has no regrets about teasing me, and that he's added the nickname for that purpose. I'm sure I'll hear more about it later.

"Fantastic." I say the word sarcastically, but that doesn't seem to damper the prince's spirits at all.

Suddenly, he takes a very sudden turn off the road into the woods we've been driving on. The sudden action causes me to respond instinctively, and I grip on to Teague as tight as humanly possible.

"Teague!" I growl the words as we bump along, and try to hide the fact that I'm terrified of flying off this thing and splattering all over the ground. I can't have him knowing that. That would be revealing a weakness to the enemy. "You're being a reckless fool! Just because you're a Royal and would survive a motorcycle accident like your brother doesn't mean I would! Not to mention this illegal!"

"Oops." He doesn't sound sincere at all as he goes faster, and I swear he speeds up a bit just to freak me out. "And don't worry, Wilhelmina," He says my full name, probably to get another reaction out of me, "I don't have a girlfriend, so you don't have to worry about any angry Fae showing up at your door because they're jealous." I can imagine him winking while he says it.

"Teague Fate!" I don't even know if Fae have last names, so I decide to just use 'Fate' for his last name. "Shut your mouth! I ought to-"

I don't get to finish the statement, because Teague cuts me off. "I did have a fiancee at one time though." Woah, what? Teague was _engaged_ to someone at one time? I can't imagine that. "Then I threw her out of a tower." His voice takes a darker turn at this comment.

"You _what_?" I can't stop the question from tumbling out of my mouth.

Anger starts to become more prominent as the Story speaks. "I threw her out of a tower."

I'm legitimately scared now, because Teague is putting me in a dangerous situation, as with each word he's beginning to go faster, and I don't even think it's to scare me now. I mean, I know he put me in a dangerous situation by even taking me out here, but I honestly would rather die because Teague murdered me rather than die from a motorcycle crash. Wouldn't that be pathetic? I can see it now in the Fae news; 'Latest Grimm dies from motorcycle crash.'

He keeps going, scaring me more and more by the minute. "She was working with an assassin. I didn't manage to kill either of them. She escaped getting thrown out of the tower, and the elf got away. The stupid elf that worked with the-"

"Teague!" I scream the words as my eyes sting from fearful tears that don't even have the chance to slide down my face at this speed. "Please slow down!"

He stops so suddenly that I'm nearly thrown off the motorcycle, and my head bounces off his back. Once I'm sure he's stopped, I release my grip and grab the seat with one hand while I use the other to rub my head. Ouch!

"We're here." He gets off, and I follow in suit, looking around the clearing.

After glancing around, I shake my head. "Teague, there is literally nothing here." I throw my hands out for effect.

"I know that that's the way it appears, Captain Obvious." His response comes quickly as if he expected me to comment on it, and he sounds irritated, although at least he's not angry anymore. I can't believe Teague got so upset. And over a girl no less! I decide to shut up for now though, so that I don't get myself into trouble due to angering the Story. "But it's not."

He waves a hand in the air, and the glamour falls. My eyes widen when this happens, because I honestly didn't expect what I see. There are two people tied to trees across from each other. On the tree to the left, there's a girl tied there. She has sky blue eyes that meet mine for a moment filled with hope, only for it to break when she sees Teague. Her hair is red and wavy, pulled into a ponytail and tucked behind her ears. Her ears are odd, being pointy-shaped. She must be Fae. An elf, maybe? I cast a questioning glance at Teague, unsure of why he has a girl who can't be more than eleven - if she's even that - tied up in the middle of the woods, and hidden. Not to mention she's gagged at the moment.

As if anticipating my question, he says, "Look at the other tree first." Considering the rather creepy grin sliding onto his face, I have a feeling that I won't like what I see.

And I'm right. On the tree to the right, a boy meets my gaze. He, however, does not lose the hope in his eyes when he sees me. In fact, I see faith there as well, and it breaks my heart. He's not gagged. There's no reason for him to be. He's mute.

"Charlie!" I cry out the words, and try to run over to him. Teague, however, throws an arm out, catching me and stopping me from running to him. "Teague, let me go this instant! Let me go to my brother! You better not have hurt him!"

"Don't worry, Mina. I haven't." The fact that he says it in the past tense worries me. "If you cooperate, I won't have to."

I was definitely right to be worried.

"Why did you bring me out here?" I turn slowly to look at the Story, clenching my hands up into fists.

"Because I need you to do something for me." He says it casually, leaning against a tree.

I stomp up to him, look up angrily with my face inches away from his. "I want details, Story! Give them to me, or I'm summoning Jared!"

"You can't? Remember?" He grins at me, so I stomp on his foot, which quickly wipes the grin off his face and replaces it with a grimace.

"I think I can, seeing as you're obviously putting someone I love in danger!" I snap the words back at him.

He just shakes his head, smirking. "Ah, but I'm not. The only reason he'll be in danger is because of you not doing what I need." I realize now that the clever wording of the deal allows this, and groan mentally. He didn't promise to not hurt anyone I love while this is commencing. He just promised not to put them in danger. So, if Charlie gets hurt, it'll be my fault. "So as I said, you can't summon Jared."

"I hate Fae." I mutter the words, but Teague catches the words, causing his grimace to cross with his smirk to create some hybrid expression.

"Obviously not all Fae, seeing as I know you're head over heels for my brother and me. At least me, that is." His expression changes to his winning smile.

"You're imagining things." I shake my head. "Now explain what I'm doing so I can take Charlie and leave."

"Ah, yes." This causes his grin to widen and look more evilly crazy than ever. "I need you to kill that elf over there." With a wave of his hand, the gag is gone off of her as if it never existed. "You see, her name is Freira. Her sister was the Fae that tried to assassinate me, along with my would-be fiancee."

"You want me to _murder_ her?" I take an involuntary step back, shaking my head. "Y-You mean capture her in the Grimorie?"

"Nope." If it were anyone else, I would think they were only giving me the impression that they were enjoying this, but seeing as it's Teague, I think he really is. "I mean plunge this dagger into her chest."

I honestly can't believe him. "What did she ever do to you?"

"Absolutely nothing that I know of, but if she is anything like her sister, she probably has at least planned to do something." What sort of logic is this? Twisted logic, that's what! Not to mention bad logic! "But I can't find her sister, so this will begin the process of making her pay for her crimes. Not to mention it ensures this elf can't cause any issues for me."

"I can't murder her!" I shake my head.

"That's a shame. Maybe you need some incentive?" The moment the words leave his lips, I begin to panic.

"N-No, wai-" I'm too late.

He punches Charlie right in the face, and the sound it makes tells me that it's broken. He steps back, allowing me to see the pained, silent cry that Charlie uttered, although he stops and tries - and fails - to look as if he's okay for me. The look Teague gives me tells me he regrets nothing, and is completely open to doing it again.

"Was that enough incentive for you?" He asks it innocently, and I wish I had the guts to punch him for that comment. But I can't. Not after what he just did to Charlie. I can't let him do that again.

"Give me the dagger." I extend my hand, and he shoves it in. I nearly drop it as I walk over to the girl because my hands have begun to shake at the mere thought of killing someone. "I'm so sorry." My voice breaks a little when I say the words.

"Please don't do this." She whispers the words back, and she sounds so broken that I break a little more.

"I have to." I look her in the eyes, silently begging her to understand why this is what I have to do, and also begging her to forgive me. "If I don't, he'll hurt Charlie again. I can't let him do that."

"Please." Surprisingly enough, the girl isn't crying. Instead, she puts on a brave face. In fact, that makes it even worse than if she were crying. I don't think I would've done the same in her position at that age. I don't know if I would've done the same thing now. "Don't kill me."

"Why are you making me do this?" I ask Teague, not looking back at him so I won't have to see Charlie's injury again. Seeing it again won't help me in this situation.

"Because I can." I hate him. He then adds, "I also can't murder her. If I do that, all sorts of fingers would be pointed at me. Sure, my parents would solve the issue and keep me out of trouble - or I would - but it's so much of a hassle. It's much easier to have you do it."

"I can't be a murderer." I shake my head, close to tears. "I'm not a murderer, and I'm not going to start now. It's illegal."

He laughs, but it's not a nice laugh. It's the kind that makes you feel like you just swallowed shards of glass or something equally as horrible that would cause you to die. "You're not a murderer? You really believe that?"

"Are you saying I am?" I quiver a little. What would possibly give him that idea? I've never killed anyone!

He gives a quick laugh again. "Yes, I'm saying you're a murderer just like me. Did you think sucking Fae into the Grimorie didn't counting as killing them? They're very much dead when they're in there, Wilhelmina Grimm. But don't worry," He pauses for effect, "you're not alone. All Grimms are killers, after all. Or they're killed before they get the chance."

I sink to my knees on the ground, tears beginning to pour from my eyes as I hold the knife in my hands, staring at through my blurry eyes. "Y-You're lying." I know he's not. But I so desperately need him to be! I'm not a killer!

"I'm growing _impatient_ , Mina." The dangerous edge is back. He's done humoring me. "Do you need more incentive?"

"I can't kill her!" I wail the words.

In response, I hear the thud of Teague's foot kicking something. I'm not sure what he kicked, but I'm sure it hurt Charlie in some way. I refuse to look back though. If I look back, I might shatter completely.

"Grimm, stop testing my patience and get on with it!" Now he's sounding angry.

"Don't make me." I whimper, shaking while I do.

"If you don't hurry up, I'm going to start doing some things that are going to hurt a lot more than punching and kicking. How well does your brother do at the sight of blood?" I hate him even more.

"I'll do it!" The words tumble out of my mouth. "I'll do it! Don't hurt him!"

"Good choice." He sounds like he's giving me his approval, and my hand clenches into a fist around the hilt of the dagger.

I look at the girl, hoping she'll forgive me. I'll never forgive myself if she doesn't, but I might stand a chance if she does. "Please forgive me." I whisper the words this time, instead of asking silently. The request deserves to be voiced.

The look she gives me tells me all I need to know. She won't forgive me. I'll have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life. She opens her mouth to begin to scream. "Fe-"

She doesn't get to finish the word because I plunge the dagger into her chest where her heart is, and the scream turns into a pained screech. I sink to my knees, pulling the dagger out, and it disappears from my hand.

"Well done." Teague sounds as if I've done okay work that could be improved upon.

"I hate you!" I shout the words at him in fury, turning to look at him with the tears streaming down my cheek. "She'd done nothing wrong!"

"Your guilt to bear, not mine." With a wave of his hands, Freira's ropes are gone. I can only assume Charlie's are too. "And plenty of people hate me. It's all the better that you do. It's not like we're friends, sweetheart."

"How do you bear the guilt and shame of what you've done?" I shout the words at him as he picks up Freira's body, which was previously slumped on the ground after the bonds were untied. If I were closer, her body would've fallen on me.

"Easy." He turns to go. "I'm not ashamed or guilty."

He then begins to walk off, but I shout after him, "How am I supposed to get home with Charlie?" He's gone though, making my only answer silence.

I sink to the ground, bursting into even more tears, and someone pulls me into their embrace. It's too strong to be Charlie though.

"Mina, what happened?" Jared's voice reaches my ears, and I spin around, burying my face in his shoulder.

I feel Charlie wrap his arms around me as well when I respond. "I'm a murderer."

Jared stiffens a bit. "Why do you say that?"

"Your brother. He...He...He had me kill someone for him. Not with the Grimorie." My voice is a bit higher than usual.

"I'll kill him." Jared sounds so determined, but I cry out at this.

"No! No, you'll only get killed!" I'm a mess and in a state now. "Please, I can't lose you!"

"You won't lose me. I promise. I won't do anything stupid." He plants a kiss on my forehead, catching me by surprise, and I look up into his eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." I nod.

"You won't ever lose me. Not now. Not ever. I promise." Jared's stormy gray eyes meet mine, and he kisses me again, this time on the lips. When we pull away, he says, "Let's get your brother healed up and you home."

* * *

 **Fun fact time with Dagger! Freira is a name, and actually means "sister." (If you guys want me to put a random fun fact about each one-shot I do at the end of each - because that might be fun - let me know in a review and I'll consider it.)  
**

 **So what did you guys think of that one-shot? Was it good? Bad? I'm sorry the Jarina wasn't completely central at all and was mainly at the end and not as long as it could've been (I'll try to do a different one-shot with more/central Jarina in it later), but I got an idea and went with it. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it, and if you did, please review! This one-shot was super fun to write. It might be one of my favorites I've written so far. cx It took me awhile too! But it was completely worth it.**

 **Anyways, let's see if I can write another, shall we? (Probably not, so I won't make any promises, but I'll aim to do at least one tomorrow if I don't do another today) If I put my mind to it, I may be able to before I go to sleep. Just maybe! X3**

 **~ Dagger**


	6. Dagger Actually Wrote Jarina!

**Number Six - Dagger Actually Wrote Jarina!**

 **Alright guys! Here's another one-shot that I'm throwing you way! Hopefully you guys like this one too. c:**

 **KennaChanMaiden : Alright, I'll do more fun facts then! I might do that one next, now that you mention it. I've actually done it once before, although it was in an AU (Just Follow Me) which actually doesn't count officially, so I'd have to make sure it was different.**

 **MusicalDivergentTribute : Haha, it really was. cx I'm glad you loved it though! I know you requested Jarina, so this one will actually be central Jarina. c:**

 **I'm not going to say when this one-shot takes place, because that would spoil things. c; It'll be made obvious at the end though, so I'm sure you'll all get it.**

 **Anyways, on with the show!**

* * *

 _Mina's POV (again, Dagger? really?)_

* * *

Sitting on the grassy hill, I hug my knees and stare down it at the seemingly endless field that launches out past the horizon. It's beautiful, dotted with a whole multicolored host of wildflowers. A perfect place to be, really. I wiggle my toes, feeling the earth beneath my bare feet. I'd put my shoes back on later.

Someone slides their hands over my eyes from behind me, which is good because then they can't see me roll mine. "Guess who?" They don't even bother to disguise their voice, although it wouldn't really help them.

"I'm only here with one person, Jared, unless you brought someone else along on our date in that picnic basket." I don't turn around, but I do shove his hands off my eyes so I can see again.

I can hear his pout in his sulky voice as he says, "You could've at least pretended."

I roll my eyes again at his antics, because I'm not fooled by them. He's not actually hurt. "Would you rather I have guessed your brother? Because that's the only other person it could've been, and I doubt you brought _him_ along."

"Teague?" Jared pretends to sound shocked. "You wouldn't dare mistake me for him!"

"You two sound enough alike." I grin as I turn around to tease him, as that way he'll know I'm teasing. I hope.

He places his left hand over his heart and his right hand across his forehead in an attempt to be dramatic. "How you wound me!"

"Both of you don't act your age, either." I point this out next. "How are you supposed to be respectable, old men if you act like teenage boys? You really should've applied for senior citizenship by now."

A grin takes his face as he moves his hands to the ground so he can lean back a bit. "Ah, but he didn't get the devilishly good looks, did he?"

"Are you trying to say that you did?" I ask innocently, but a teasing smile still occupies my face.

"Oh, be quiet!" Jared looks away as he says the words.

I, however, don't take the hint. "You're both Royals. Hm, what else is there?"

"So I'll have to shut you up myself then? Fine." Jared turns back to look at me with this intense, genuine look of anger that causes me to flinch. I managed to make him _really_ mad. I didn't mean to! "It should be easy enough."

I back a way a little in fear, my left eye instinctively shutting so that I can only kind of see. What's he going to do? Take my voice for a bit? Just yell at me, like he's done before? Something worse? If he's as bad as Teague when he seems this mad, then I'm done for, because Teague would probably kill me. I've barely ever seen him - Jared - this mad at me, and it doesn't look like he'll be calming himself down like he did the other few times he was this mad. I begin to brace myself for the worst, terrified. I wasn't trying to make him mad!

That's when he grabs my hands off the ground and pulls me so that our faces are a few inches apart. Then? His lips touch mine. He's kissing me! I'll admit to myself - though not to him - that relief runs through me, because I was really scared that he'd do something awful.

Talk about having faith in my boyfriend. I need to work on that.

He pulls away, and I open my mouth to ask if we should start eating, only to catch the devious smile on Jared's face. "Jared?"

"I think you still have to pay for comparing Teague and me, Mina." His devious smile widens a bit.

"Jared, don't you da-" I don't get to finish my statement, because he begins to tickle me.

I fall backwards, screaming with laughter as he tickles my sides. "Ack, Jared, stop!"

He, being the boy he is, doesn't. I should've known he wouldn't. It was worth a shot though. He keeps it up for a few minutes till I can barely breath. I tried to do it back to him, but it didn't work.

"Jared, I can't breathe!" I manage to get the words out between fits of laughter, and finally he stops. "Thank you."

His face grows solemn very fast, the grin that was there moments ago vanishing. "Mina, you know I'm not here, right?"

I'm taken aback by this. "What?"

"I'm not really here. I never was. This?" He gestures around him. "None of it is real. It's all in your head."

"What do you mean?" I stare at him, confused, and lean a bit closer. "That kiss was real. All of this has been real."

He shakes his head sadly. "You're dreaming right now, Mina. You're asleep. I'm still combined with Teague. You have to wake up, or else you'll just be even more heartbroken."

"N-No, I refuse to believe you!" I reach for his hand, but mine goes right through it as he starts to fade away. "Jared, come back!"

Just like that, he's gone, and I'm sitting alone in the field.

I sit up straight as my eyes fly open, and I find myself in my bedroom in the Grime Mansion, with the lights off. I was asleep the entire time. I dreamed it up. I can't believe it. I nearly begin to cry, especially when I remember the incident with the Godmothers.

I still can't get my mind around the fact that I dreamed that entire thing with Jared up. While it was going on, I briefly forgot what had happened to the Godmothers' Guild because of me. That was selfish. I don't deserve to ever forget. I relive seeing Mei's body again, which pushes me over the edge and reduces me to tears.

The door suddenly opens - not loudly, but it still does take me by surprise and make me jump - to reveal a concerned nixie standing there. Nix has been staying at my house, as my mother had decided to give him room and board in exchange for doing house jobs like repainting stuff. He'd had the choice to go with the Godmothers when the Guild burnt down, but decided to stay instead to help out. In a way, I'm relieved. I'm able to keep an eye on him, and vice versa. Not that I really need someone keeping an eye on me.

"Mina, are you okay?" Nix hesitates before stepping inside, as if he's unsure that he's allowed to come in.

"Ye-No." I begin to lie, but then I switch to the truth and shake my head. Nix deserves to have the truth, and he probably would've deducted quickly from my tears that he was being lied to, if he doesn't know that I'm not okay yet. It's kind of obvious. "No, I'm not okay. Not at all."

He sits down on the bed next to me and pulls me into a hug. "This is about the fire at the recycling center, isn't it?" I open my mouth to correct him by saying it was a fire at the Godmother's Guild hideout, not just some recycling center, but he plows ahead before I can. "I'm sorry that this whole mess happened, Mina. I really am. But please understand that you don't deserve any of this, and none of this is your fault."

"Don't I?" I sniff.

He shakes his head. "No, you don't. Not at all. Don't let anyone - especially that arrogant Story, Teague - make you believe otherwise." Nix has come a long way from that scared nixie who was trying to do what's right but was terrified of the Dark Prince. "You are an absolutely wonderful, beautiful person. You are far too kind to people, despite your lot in life. I know what it's liked to be cursed, and it's incredibly hard to be kind. You are also incredibly brave, much braver than I was when I was cursed. In fact, you're still braver than me. If it weren't for you, Mina, I wouldn't be here right now. In fact, I'd be dead, or worse, a Sea Witch. You gave me a second chance at life. So don't think you deserve to not be okay. If anyone deserves to be okay, it's you. Don't force yourself to suffer because of what you've been forced into. You're doing your best. Everyone knows that. You just have to remember that, because no matter what you do, people are going to be lost. Don't let Teague win before the war has even begun." He pauses, and grins a little. "Not the best pep talk ever. Maybe I should've gotten Ever to deliver it. I bet she would've gotten a real kick out of saying all that to you. Might've not said it as nicely though."

I manage to give a sad laugh, having run out of tears. I dry my eyes with my hands, and manage to offer a pitiful smile to him. "You do wonders for emotionally distraught people, Nix."

"So I've been told." He grins a bit wider. "I could make a living off of it. A doctor for those who are well in body, but considerably rumpled in spirit."

That manages to get a real chuckle out of me. "So you watched Ann of Green Gables? I'll ask you how Nan managed to finally get you to in the morning. You need to sleep."

"Are you okay now?" He asks, still obviously concerned for me. His grin flops down into a frown as he looks for any telltale sign that I'm not.

"I'm better." When his frown doesn't leave his face, I add, "I promise that I will be okay."

"Okay." He nods, getting up and going to the door. "Goodnight, Mina."

"Night, Nix." He shuts the door, and I lay back down, unsure of whether I'll fall back to sleep or not.

* * *

 **Author fun fact time! I originally had intended to make the dream morph into being all nightmare-y and have Mina wake up in bed and just end it right when she woke up. This seemed much less cruel though, so I decided to go with this. c; You're welcome! ^-^ Plus, it gave me an opportunity to bring Nix in, and who doesn't love that loveable nixie? :3  
**

 **Now, I'm hoping to do some more Meague! Hopefully I'll be doing a one-shot with some simple flirting during the rooftop meetings, but there may be wedding bells ringing, because that could be fun to write! We'll have to see if I can or not. What do you guys think of those ideas? Also, please keep leaving more ideas in your reviews, or PM them to me if you come up with them!**

 **Please review, and keep reading! Your support is always fantastic, and I love to know what you guys think of these (or any of my stories)!**

 **~ Dagger**


	7. Your Favorite Story

**Number Seven - Your Favorite Story**

 **Hehe, I'm back with another one-shot for you guys! :D I mentioned previously that I wanted to do some rooftop flirting between Mina and Teague (so this takes place between Fairest and Fable, unlike my last one, which was after Reign). c: So, that's what this chapter will be! I'm excited to write it, as Meague is one of my favorite things to write. cx Hopefully you guys like it!**

 **KennaChanMaiden : I'll definitely try to do some of those ideas soon! ^-^ We'll have to see if I can do them justice.**

 **Story Tale : Good idea! I'll try that one soon too. :3**

 **MusicalDivergentTribute : I'm glad that these are good chapters, and I'm glad that the rollercoasters are good and not bad! :3 I'm definitely glad that last chapter was good enough to be your favorite. And that is fantastic! xD I always love it when you guys tell me in your reviews that stuff like that happened. It's what all authors are probably trying to achieve. cx**

 **Now, on with the show!**

* * *

You'll never guess whose perspective it's from this time. That's right!

 _Mina's POV_

* * *

Sitting on my beach chair on the roof, I flip through the Grimorie, looking at all the different pictures in it. It's amazing, really, to think about how many quests I've completed. Jared didn't think I'd last the Little Red Riding Hood quest. Now I've completed that one and several others. Turning the page, my eyes land on the picture that represents me completing the Snow White quest. On the page next to it, I also see the one that represents when I completed the Sleeping Beauty. I close my eyes, thinking about how recently I completed those. Those were - although technically it was the same one - awful quests. An ugly side of me was revealed while that was going on. I don't want to deal with that side ever again.

"Ooh, that one was a good one." I hear the snicker in his voice when he says the words close to my ear, which tells me that he's talking in my ear. "One of my favorites so far."

"Oh shut up, Teague." I mutter as I open my eyes. I then proceed to sink down further in the chair to get away from him, and then I slide forward so that I can stand up without being too close from him. "Anyone could tell that it's only your favorite because I was awful in it."

"I told you, I gave you the choice to be there good guy in the story, Mina. It's not my fault you rejected the opportunity to be Snow White." I look at him as he says the words, clutching the Grimorie close to my chest, and he smirks.

"Like I said, shut up." This makes his smirk widen, so I turn away to retreat back to my room, where it's safer.

In turn, he steps in my way, keeping me from getting down. "What brought you back to the roof, Mina? I thought you weren't going to come back after our last conversation."

"Hmph. I _shouldn't_ have." I try to step around him by stepping to the right, but he follows me, and any attempt at faking him out doesn't work.

"You're not nearly as fun as usual today." He frowns, looking a bit concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Leave me along, Teague." I look up in order to glare at him.

He shakes his head. "Nope. You're obviously broken, and I'm not leaving till I figure out why, so that I can fix it. I can't play with a broken Grimm. It just not the same."

I snort at that. Of course he's only concerned for selfish reasons. "I'm not _broken._ "

"You _are_." He insists, shaking his head, and gestures to the chair I got out of. "Please, sit down, and explain what's caused this."

"Ugh, Story," I use one hand to hold the Grimorie while I place my face in the other, exasperated, "I just want to go inside."

He stands there for a moment, as if considering my statement. I almost get my hopes up, but when he finally speaks I realize he wasn't considering what I said. He was trying to decide his next course of action. "Maybe I just need a new quest to send your way."

"What? No!" I shake my head. "You need to give me a break!"

"Break?" He looks at me like I'm being ridiculous. "There's no break in a curse!"

"At least pick a good one then." Seeing as I'm not going to get anywhere by trying to get a break, I might as well ask for a good curse. "Like the story of Cinderella. The girl gets the Prince in the end and lives happily ever after."

"What makes you so sure it's happily ever after?" Teague raises an eyebrow, and I raise one in return.

"What makes you act like it's not?" I counter.

Instead of answering, he says, "Well, I mean, you certainly look the part."

I take offense to this right away. "Excuse me?"

"I wasn't calling you ugly." He protests. "I may be considered evil, but I'm not rude. I'm a prince, after all."

"Hmph. That's debatable." I mutter, and when he opens his mouth to argue with me, I ask, "If you weren't calling me ugly, what were you calling me?"

"Guess we'll have to find out when that quest comes, now won't we?" He winks at me, and I involuntarily blush. Which, of course, just seems to excite him. "Ah ha! So you _were_ broken!"

"How do you do that?" I demand, stomping a foot. I'd been trying so hard this time too!

He smirks. "You doubt my charm?"

"What charm?" I respond, raising an eyebrow.

"The charm that made every girl want to marry me at one time." He smirks a bit wider. "That was before-"

"-you were like this?" I finish the statement, and gesture at him.

" _I_ was going to say before the Grimm curse." He corrects, and I shrug. Then, he realizes something. "Wait a minute. Are you implying that every girl would _not_ swoon over me now?"

I shrug once again. "Who knows?"

"Is that a challenge, Grimm?" I shrug again at his question, which seems to annoy him even further. I, however, find it rather funny. "I already know of one girl."

This takes me by surprise. "Who?"

"You, obviously." He grins, but I just shake my head.

"Not falling for it." I say the words bluntly, and he looks a bit taken aback.

"Not falling for what?" He asks it so innocently, and I shake my head again.

"Not falling for your attempts to get a reaction out of me." I almost resist the urge, but then add, "Duh," on to my answer.

He sticks his tongue out. "Fine. Game on, Mina. I'll be back later."

And on that note, he's gone, and I'm able to go down to my room from off the roof, although I'm left pondering what he said before he left. It's a good thing Jared didn't know about that meeting though, otherwise he would've gone berse-

I spoke too soon.

"Wilhelmina Grimm!" As I stick my head through the window, I groan inwardly, because none other than Jared is yelling at me.

Here we go again.

* * *

 **Author fun fact: I honestly had no idea where I was going with this, to be honest, and I feel like it really could be extended (although I won't be doing that). However, it was very interesting to write.**

 **Alright guys, what did you think of that one-shot? Good? Bad? Sorry it was on the shorter side, but I hope it was still enjoyable! I'll try to get another one up soon!**

 **Please review and keep reading!**

 **~ Dagger**


	8. You Did What?

**Number Eight - You Did What?!**

 **Alright guys! Dagger is back with another one-shot for you! So yay! :D Hopefully I'll do some updating of my other stories today, but we'll have to see! Either way, I'm excited to see what you guys will think of this one-shot!**

 **KennaChanMaiden : I'm glad it was cute/sweet! And that's an interesting idea. I'd probably make it multiple chapters, but I'll definitely consider it!**

 **Guest and Story Tale : Here's another Meague story then!**

 **Now, let's get to the actual one-shot!**

 **Also, just so that you guys,**

* * *

 _Mina's POV (Yes, again)_

* * *

You know what never seems to be a good sign when you have a boyfriend? Your friends disapproving of him. You know what's even worse than that? Your friends not knowing about your boyfriend that they would disapprove of. Do you know what's even worse than that? Getting caught by your friends with your boyfriend they didn't know about that they would disapprove of.

These thoughts are running through my head because my school friends jut walked into the restaurant I was with my not known boyfriend. While we were in the middle of kissing. And they saw us. And they're coming over to the table right now. Did I mention that most of them will highly disapprove?

Right now, I'm wishing that the ground would just open up beneath me and swallow me up so that I won't have to deal with facing them about this.

"Wilhelmina Grime!" Jared is the first to speak - of course - while they're still a little bit away, although he doesn't use my actual last name. Wouldn't want to blow my cover, right? Although with the state he's in now, maybe he isn't thinking about that.

"I'm so dead." I mutter the words so that only my boyfriend can hear.

"Who-" Jared begins when they reach the table, and I can see that he's in a range.

Nan, however, cuts in to finish the statement in a very different way than Jared probably intended. "-is tall, dark, and handsome, and why have I never met him? You didn't tell me you were going on a date tonight!"

"You never asked?" I say, causing her to make an exasperated noise.

I involuntarily lean away from my guy a bit when I accidentally make eye contact with Jared, and catch his disapproving glare.

"You never showed any hint of having a boyfriend! Have you guys been going steady?" At my blush, Nan looks torn between looking offended that I haven't said anything to her about this and delighted that I have a boyfriend, and that she finally knows. "You have, haven't you?"

"We have." My silent prince finally speaks up, and I catch his almost pained half smirk, half smile when I try to meet his blue eyes. He's trying to keep himself from killing Jared, or at least blowing up at him, no doubt. They really don't get along, do they? "You must be Nan. I'm Teague." He extends a hand, which Nan shakes while grinning.

When she let's go, she squeals. "Eee, he's a keeper, Mina!"

 _See? Someone obviously appreciates me._ I can hear Teague's hidden grin from her reaction, revealing that he's rather pleased.

I roll my eyes at him, before turning my attention back to Nan, who just finished rambling about her opinion about Teague and announces, "You should've told me this a long time ago! We could've done a double date. Now we'll have to plan one for later!"

At the last part, Nan latches on to Brody's arm, causing him to realize he probably has to say something now without looking weird. He was obviously deep in thought, and he's frowning. "Right. Uh...Where are you from, Teague?"

"You must be Brody." Teague doesn't sound super happy. "What makes you think I'm not from here?" There's a challenge in his voice, which causes me to groan inwardly. Uh oh. Now Brody's done it.

Brody raises an eyebrow. "Your name, for starters." His voice suggests that he feels this is rather obvious.

Surprisingly enough, Teague actually seems to have an answer ready. "Plenty of people in America ha-"

"Enough!" Jared interrupts the argument, barely concealing his anger. "Mina, I need to talk to you." As if it's an after thought, he adds, "Alone."

"I'd rather no-" I start, biting my lip.

Jared, of course, cuts me off. "Great. Let's go."

"Don't worry, Mina!" Nan smiles at me and winks. "I'll grill Teague about all the things you haven't but should've told me about him now!"

 _Great. Was that supposed to make me feel better?_ Once again, I find myself groaning inwardly.

Glancing at Teague, he gives me a subtle not, and I hesitantly stand up and followed Jared to the bathroom hallway. _Don't worry, babe._

As soon as the table is out of sight and we're in the hallway, Jared slams me against the wall angrily, and this time when I groan I groan out loud. "What are you playing at?"

"Geez, Jared, cut it out!" He lets me go when I say that, maybe because he senses that I sound a bit pained, and proceeds to run a hand through his hair in an irritated fashion.

"Do you _like_ risking your life?" I feel the anger pulsing off him as he speaks, still barely contained.

"What is your problem?" I snap back. "Is it that I have a boyfriend that isn't you?"

For a moment, he looks hurt by that comment. "No! If I have a 'problem,' as you call it, it's because you are dating my psychotic brother, who happens to be your enemy. The Story! I can't be a good guardian when you are putting yourself in danger constantly. It's no wonder I have had no idea where you are a ton of times recently. Do you realize if he attacks you I can't come to your aid?"

"He's not going to attack me! He promised!" Jared shakes his head at my argument.

"You believe that?" He shoots back. "He's evil! There's a reason he's called the Dark Prince! There's a reason he's your enemy!"

"There you go again, calling him _my_ enemy! Who decided he was my enemy? You!" My voice raises a little. "And it definitely is a problem with me having a boyfriend, seeing as you had a problem with me dating someone who wasn't you before this!"

He shakes his head again. "Brody doesn't count, Mina. Hardly anyone remembers that happened." Almost as soon as he says that, he seems to realize his mistake.

"Thanks for reminding me of that _pleasant_ fact, Jared." I snap the words at him, seeing as now I'm slightly hurt. My first kiss, my first date, and everything else was erased from everyone's memory, as if it never happened. It's torturous.

"But this is exactly what I was talking about! Teague did this!" He protests, reaching out to grab my hand.

I jerk it away so that he can't touch it. "Teague _apologized_ for that. He _knew_ it hurt me, and he's _sorry_ for it. That's more than you can say!"

"Mina..." He sounds like he's approaching a wounded animal. The nerve of him!

"If you excuse me, I'll be going back to my _boyfriend_ , Teague, and my friends!"

I stomp away before he can continue the argument, only to get caught by the arm by Ever, who was standing outside the doorway, although I didn't notice while I was arguing with Jared. She makes no effort to conceal the fact that she was hiding outside in order to eavesdrop. "Gimp, I'm glad and all that you're not dating Jared-"

"You can have him." I interject, feeling as if I'm burning with anger.

"-but even I don't mess with the Dark Prince anymore. I may not like you, but I don't really want to see you get murdered by him." She finishes.

I ignore what she said, shaking her grip off. "Whatever." I think angrily walk back to the table.

"So, your family is involved in politics?" Nan asks just as I come back, and Teague looks unsure of how to answer the question.

It appears that I've come back right in time then, because Teague looks relieved, and Brody says, "Mina, are you okay? You look a little frustrated."

"A little?" Nan breaks in, completely distracted from her questioning of Teague. "She's absolutely, positively, fully outraged, by the looks of it!"

"That pretty much sums it up." I mutter darkly, sitting back in my spot.

Teague looks angry. "What did Jared do now?"

"I didn't do anything!" Right on cue, Jared comes over, huffing and puffing. Ever is right behind him, looking upset. No doubt she tried to console him, only to be ignored. I feel the tiniest bit bad for her, but seeing as she doesn't like me, I can't feel too bad. "You obviously did though. Whatever Fae magic you've managed to use on her, stop it!"

Brody and Nan both look really confused, and so of course Nan has to ask, "Fae magic?"

"Can you not just accept the fact that she likes me more, Jared?" Teague snarls the words, standing up. "Is that such a hard concept to grasp? I would've thought even your puny mind could comprehend it."

"Teague..." I mutter, hoping to calm him down. This could end really badly if they get into a full out fight.

Jared's literally shaking with anger. "Mina is smarter than this. You've obviously done something to befuddle her brain and convince her that this is a good idea!"

"Jared, please." Ever tries to calm him, but he shoves her away.

"Jared?" Nan seems caught off guard by this, where as Brody looks like all his suspicions about Jared being an awful person have been confirmed.

"Oh come on, Jared." Teague snaps. "Are you really going to make a fool of yourself? I always was the better of the two of us."

"Shut. Up!" Looking infuriated, Jared leaps at Teague, and I can see the Fae magic starting to leak off of him as he tackles his brother

Teague retaliates now that Jared has actually started fighting, tossing him backwards with Fae magic. Jared flies across the room, hitting the wall with a loud thunk. A table quickly follows after him, and Jared barely manages to dodge it, retaliating by tossing a chair - with Fae magic - across the room.

"I'm seeing things." Nan says, closing her eyes. "That's the only explanation. Or I'm hallucinating. Or I'm dreaming. Brody, pinch me!"

Brody, however, is too occupied by Teague causing the light above Jared to fall after dodging the chair to do what his girlfriend asked.

"Mina, make them stop! There are humans around, and Fae will flock to this magic source!" Ever looks at me with wide eyes, actually looking panicked when Jared catches the light in midair with his magic, throwing it back at Teague.

"Jared Amos Fate, stop this instant!" I shout as Jared pulls the table Teague is now standing on forward at a quick speed, nearly causing him to lose his balance and fall.

He ignores me, instead moving as a bottle of ketchup hits him in the side of the head. It would've hit him right in the face if he hadn't moved.

I decide to try yelling at Teague instead. "Teague Jacan Fate, stop right now!"

He ignores me as well, launching another bottle of ketchup at his brother, but Nan realizes what I said and says, "Wait, they're brothers? Since when?"

"Stop!" Both of their hands glow with Fae magic, and I run in between them, causing them to both to stop. "You guys just exposed yourself to any rogue Fae around here, and revealed yourself to all the humans! You have to fix this!"

Jared drops his hands and has the decency to look slightly ashamed, and Teague steps off the table, looking at me with frustrated eyes. "I can't fix this the way you want me to."

"What do you mean?" I throw my hands out, now frustrated as well. "You're the Story. Of course you can!"

He waves his hands, and everyone freezes, including me. "I'm sorry, Mina. But if I wipe everyone's memory, I have to wipe your's as well, because this wasn't part of a quest." My heart cracks inside my chest a little. What? "I'll be wiping your entire memory of this summer, and replacing it. You'll have memories of avoiding doing quests and your friends will remember going to camps they originally planned to go to. And you'll go back to hating me." I try to open my mouth and protests, but I can't. He shakes his head a little, as if he can feel me trying to break free, and gives a small, sad smile. "It's fine. You'll be fine. I'll be fine. Maybe we'll work out some day. But in order to make up for this, it has to be done. I made a stupid mistake due to my stupid brother, who I can't make forget this incident. But I don't regret us dating." He smiles a little. "I hope you don't either."

He plants a kiss on my forehead, and then everything goes black.

* * *

 **Ahhhh, that was sad to write. ;-; But I liked finding a way to make it fit into the actual story, because that seemed like a good idea and I had a way to do that. But it was still really sad to write it.  
**

 **Anyways, I'll try to write a new one-shot soon, and hopefully that'll be happier! I dunno though. cx**

 **Also anyways, please review, and get ready to keep reading soon! You guys are the reason I keep writing, after all. :3**

 **~ Dagger**


	9. Here Comes The Bride

**Chapter Nine - Here Comes The Bride**

 **Hey guys! I'm back, with another one-shot for you guys! I haven't written one in awhile, seeing as I have been trying to update all my stories, but I recently wrote one before I went on a missions trip (I came back yesterday, so if you guys were wondering why I disappeared, that would by why), and I've decided to share one with you. You guys requested a wedding, after all. I'm here to give you one. ^-^**

 **Evx : I'm glad I wowed you! I'm glad it's a good wow too, and I'm glad you loved the Meague! It was fun to write. c;**

 **Story Tale : I have considered it. If anything, it would be Teague's perspective on it, and perhaps his reaction. It would probably include some of Jared's opinion on it as well. I'm not making any promises, but I will think about it.**

 **MusicalDivergentTribute : What can I say? I love upsetting people with my stories. I've found my one-shots tend to be a bit more devastating at times then my actual stories though. cx Probably because most of my stories end up having happy endings. I really need to make a few that don't, don't I? Of course, I have some planned that won't have quite as happy endings, so I suppose I'll have to wait for those, won't I?**

 **Now, let's hear the wedding bells! You guys did want a wedding, didn't you?**

* * *

 _Teague's Point of View_

* * *

I never thought that I would ever hear wedding music in my life. I always managed to weasel my way out of attending them when my parents attempted to make me go. That was done by either threatening my parents themselves or by threatening those they ruled over as the Fates. I would even go so far as to threaten the bride and groom themselves at times. I was - and still am - the Dark Prince, after all. I wasn't going to attend a wedding, and my parents realized that I would pull off any threats I made if they didn't give me my way. Perhaps I'm just a spoiled brat, but I was always relieved I never had to attend one. Except now, I'm incredibly nervous for that reason. I've never attended a wedding before.

Yet, being here in a tuxedo, I can start to forget my nervousness, because I can't actually believe the fact that I am here. Or the circumstances that got me here, for that matter. It's a lot to take in, and it's rather unbelievable. This the last place I would've expected be awhile ago.

The flower girl - a lovely little elf, with her light brown hair in a braid - skips all the way down the aisle, one of the last people who needs to make their way in. She sprinkles white and red rose petals as she goes from her basket, and I think about why Mina chose those petals in particular. They're not her favorite, but they're close enough to be acceptable for her wedding. I'm not sure why she chose those two colors in particular though.

Everyone's eyes leave the flower girl though once she's reached the end of the aisle and goes to take her place up front. I can see that every eye has fastened itself on the back of the room, waiting for the bride to come through. In the crowd of people and Fae - so many water Fae came for the 'lost' Siren princess' wedding - I spot a few familiar faces. Brody Carmichael for one, looking quite nice in his tuxedo. Despite breaking up several times, they're still on good terms. I suppose Mina realized they were never meant to be together, but I'd like to think that she realized he's a jerk. A row behind him is Savannah White, who I'm surprised to see doesn't look like she's trying to rival the bride. She glances at Brody from time to time, looking rather longing. I'm not sure how Mina ever managed to make amends with the girl, but they did, and I guess they're on good terms now. Beside her sits Pri, who for once doesn't look like she's stepping down so Savannah takes the spotlight. She looks just as good as her leader, and is actually talking to the boy beside her who, if I remember correctly, is her boyfriend. I'm not sure how Mina and TJ are friends, but apparently they are as well. Although I'm sure that if Mina hadn't invited him, Pri probably would've asked if she could bring him along. Charlie is the best man at the wedding, looking quite dapper, and Ever and Nan are bridesmaids, although I can see that Nan keeps glancing at Brody from time to time. She's probably checking on her boyfriend, trying to make sure that he's not having any regrets for breaking up with Savannah or Mina.

Finally, the door opens, and I find my eyes going there as well. In steps Mina, and she's a picture of beauty as well as of unorthodox. She wears a coral pink dress with light blue accents to it in places, a great choice due to her now known sea heritage. It's a beautiful mix as well. The dress goes all the way down to the ground in ruffles, and Mina appears to be the same height as always, so I doubt she's wearing any heels. I can't be sure though. She wears a necklace, which is really a silver chain with a pink-tinted pearl on it. I'm not sure why she chose it, but she did. Her chocolate brown eyes reflect her nervous excitement and happiness as the golden speckles swim around in them, and I have to force myself not to look at them for too long so I can take in the rest of her look as well. Her hair - the same chocolate brown as her eyes with golden stripes that are the same color as the specks in her eyes - is up in a beautiful bun, with one stray piece not in it. Whether it's meant to be like that or not I'm not sure, but it doesn't ruin the look. In fact, it makes her look even more perfect in my eyes. On her head is also a light blue crown, another reminder of her Siren princess status.

Her dad isn't here to walk her down the aisle, and so she walks up alone. It pains me to think about the fact that it's my fault he is dead. I killed him with the curse I cast in order to track down Elle Cinders, who turned out to be Mina. It's my fault her father is dead, and there's no way to reverse it. It's really sad, but her face shows no sign of being upset or thinking about it. She's hiding her pain, and she's hiding it well. This day is supposed to be happy, after all. But I'm sure she'll cry about it later, and I'll feel incredibly guilty.

She reaches the end of the aisle, but I would've been completely willing just to stare at her as she walked down the aisle looking just like that for the rest of my life. That is one moment I would be willing to stay in forever, and seeing as those are rare for me, I treasure it. Every single eye is on here. Do they all think she's as beautiful as I think she is?

The vows go by in a blur. I'm too focused on Mina to really focus on them. There's absolutely no stutter in her voice as she speaks. She is absolutely sure of hr decisions, despite her nerves that her eyes revealed earlier. She's so happy, and it's written all over her face. Everyone else is too. For goodness sakes, even I'm happy, and I'm the Dark Prince. This is a day just meant for smiles.

The man doing the ceremony - I never bothered to learn what his proper title is, although perhaps I'm just supposed to call him a pastor? - finally asks the fateful question. "Does anyone object to the union between those two Fae?"

My eyes pull away from Mina to look back at the spot where I saw Brody before. There he is, and I find that his eyes stare back at mine. I try to figure out what is going on his head through them, but it seems that for once, the eyes are not windows to the soul. I can't figure out what he is thinking. But then, slowly, he shakes his head at me, and that tells me everything. He doesn't stand, and he doesn't speak. He's not going to object. He's going to let her go. It appears that he too understands why him and Mina would never work out, or perhaps he recognizes how happy she is.

I turn back towards the front just as the man decides that there are obviously no objections, and continues on with the ceremony. Not that there's much left to do. We're almost at the end. "Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He pauses, before finishing with the last words he needs to say. "You may now kiss the bride."

I stare at Mina. Does she realize how much I love her? I begin to lean forward, and then watch as she gets kissed by her now husband. Nix.

I've missed my chance. I was too scared to speak up when I had an opportunity, because the fact is that I despised Mina for what she did in the past. Yet, at the same time, I still loved her. I didn't tell her that though, and chose to hurt her instead. I knew I'd get rejected if I ever told her how I felt, because I cursed her. I caused her dad to die, along with plenty of her ancestors. I caused her mom to have her brother be born mute. I made her jump through hoops that caused her misery, and technically I still am, seeing as she has beaten the curse yet. Slowly, I realized that I really was losing my chance, yet I didn't act. She began to fall for Nix. I could see it slowly occurring after she and her brother saved his life, although I didn't do anything to act upon how I felt. I didn't even act to stop it. I didn't expect it to get anywhere. He ended up winning her heart, and asked her out on a date, although it took him awhile to even get that far in the process. Especially with Brody in the way originally. After a year and a half of being a couple, he proposed, not seeming to care that she could die in the quests, or that he could be killed if he was dragged in. Not that I ever did drag him in, but I should've. Now? They're married, and I have to watch the only girl I will ever love - the only who can break the curse placed on me - slip through my fingers. I'd even been given one last opportunity when the man asked if there were any objections, because I could've objected then. However, I have a feeling that Mina never would've taken. It would've only embarrassed me, and probably not have made me any friends. I don't even know if she knows that I'm here. It's not like she invited me. In her mind, I think that we are still enemies.

Slowly, the whole procession makes their way down the aisle. Mina doesn't even notice me, although that's probably a good thing. She'd think there's another quest coming on, even though I haven't done any quests connecting to this wedding. I wasn't going to ruin that for her, however much I wanted to. Once they're all out and the guests begin to stand in order to go congratulate them and take pictures, I stand as well. In my hand I clutch a seam ripper. This occurred on the human plane, and it's time for me to return to my own plane. I can't go out and congratulate them like the rest of the guests, partly because I wasn't actually invited and partly because I can't bare to continue facing the fact that I messed up.

That's when there's a tug on my arm, and I find that I'm caught off guard by it. When I look to see who it is, I find that it's Charlie Grimm - who's a few years older now, seeing as it's not like he didn't age while his sister did - staring back at me. I'm not sure why he's not with the rest of the procession taking pictures and congratulating his sister - seeing as he was Nix's best man - but he isn't. He looks puzzled instead, as if his mind can't accept something. What it can't accept, I'm not sure.

"Why?" He finally asks after a few minutes of silence. I'm still not used to him being able to talk, even though we didn't ever interact very much.

I ask a question in return, now puzzled as well. "Why what?" I can't figure out what he wants, how he noticed me, or why he is even here.

He folds his arms and says, "Why didn't you object?" This really takes me by surprise, because I don't believe that Charlie likes me all that much. I kidnapped him after all, and I bet anything Mina's told him about me is bad. "Why didn't you tell her how you feel about her? I know you love her. So why didn't you take a risk? Don't you understand? Now it's too late. That was your last chance. She might seem happy, but now we'll never know how she feels about you, and if she made the correct choice. We can only wonder. What if she's not going to happy, and now it's your fault?"

I sigh. He's voicing plenty of the question that have been bouncing around in my head, and I don't want it. I'm already regretting my decision enough. I don't need him telling me I should regret it as well. "You wouldn't understand why I made the decision I did, kid."

"She would've listened." He insists, and I can't understand why he continues the argument.

I shake my head in response. "No. Nix makes her happy, Charlie. Don't ruin that for her, because I don't think I would."

"But-" I don't let him finish as I rip a hole between planes so that I can return.

* * *

 **Well, you guys asked for a wedding, and you guys asked for Meague. I gave you both. Just...Not exactly what you guys were wanting. Honestly, I wanted to do something challenging for myself during this one-shot. I wanted to see if I could write the wedding in such a way that I could make it appear as if they were getting married till the last possible moment. Hopefully I did a good job. I'd love to know if you guys figured out something was wrong, or if you thought it was a Meague ending up until the kiss where it's revealed that it's not. What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Please let me know in a review!  
**

 **Also, please continue to give me one-shot ideas! I intend on doing some more one-shots along with my stories that I'm writing, and I love getting suggestions from you guys for it. After all, that's the point of this. You guys give me one-shot ideas, and I use them. Although, as you guys have probably realized, I'm not always going to do exactly what you guys want. cx**

 **~ Dagger**


	10. The Doctor Will See You Now

**Number Ten - The Doctor Will See You Now  
**

 **Hey guys! Sorry for being gone for so long - I know, it hasn't been all that long compared to some of my disappearances off this site, but still - without giving any sort of stories to you guys. I explain some of that at the end of the chapter, however to make it up to you guys, I'm going to give you some one-shots that you'll hopefully appreciate. xD I hope that they can make up for some of my cruel moves in these one-shots (I know, my last one was cruel) and in some of my other stories.  
**

 **KennaChanMaiden : I'm glad that the somewhat subtle clues were able to be caught, as while I wanted it to be a surprise, I also wanted to make sure there were a few clues that gave a hint to it. And ah, I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'd like to try and do a wedding one-shot some time, but I'm not sure exactly how to do one after already writing a wedding between Mina and Teague in "Just Follow Me." I don't want it to be a repeat of that one. As I said, I would like to do a wedding one-shot at some point, it's just the fact that I need to make it different. Maybe I'll be able to do one at some point?  
**

 **Evx : I'm sowwy. ;-; Although hearing that I tricked you is a good thing for me. It was the whole point of my personal challenge. Maybe it _was_ slightly cruel - I was talking to some of my family about my idea and they were saying that I was super mean - but I think it was worth it. If you forget the fact that I ruined Meague and tricked you, do you agree that it was a good one-shot though?**

 **so in her own head : I'm glad I had you going! I'm also glad you suspected there might be a twist (that's a very good thing to suspect when I'm the one writing X3). I'm also glad that his remorse and longing was conveyed well. I have to admit, I was a little concerned that that might not come across right! Thank goodness it did for at least one person. cx And thank you! I will! You should be keep being awesome as well.**

 **Guest 1 : ^-^ Hehe. Of course you love me sometimes! You're only supposed to love me sometimes, seeing as I'm an author. xD I'm glad the one-shot was able to invoke feelings like that though. I'm glad I did a good job though, and that you loved the chapter despite the cruelty I had in it.**

 **Guest 2 : Well that's what I was aiming for, so that's good! :D**

 **Now, let's get to the actual one-shot, shall we? I'm super excited! Are you?**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I open one bleary eye to find my mom standing over me, shaking me awake. When she sees that I've started to awaken, she backs up a few paces, and I catch a very cautious sense to her actions. Is something wrong? As I sit up, she gives me a rather false smile.

"Wilhelmina, it's time to get up." Her voice sounds cheerful.

Too cheerful. A cheerful that oozes with the fact that it's forced. Why is my mom trying to act so happy? Has she forgotten that just yesterday, the Godmother guild was burned down? That nearly brings a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. Maybe that's why she's trying to seem so happy. It's for my sake. Yet even as I try to convince myself of that, I can tell that that can't be it. If it was, why would she call me Wilhelmina? It makes no sense. No, something is most definitely wrong here.

"It's Mina, Mom." I say, sitting up.

She sighs in response. "I don't understand why you've started wanting to be called by that silly nickname recently, Wilhelmina." i cringe as she once again uses my full name, confused. "You never used to want to."

"What are you talking about?" I stare at her in confusion.

"It's nothing, sweetheart. Just get on up and dressed, alright?" She gives me another forced smile.

I glance at the clock, and alarm lights up in me. It's 10:30 am. As much as I don't want to go to school today, I can't just miss it. "Mom, why are you waking me up so late? I should be at school already. I mean, it's nice of you to be considerate after what happened, but he'll just see it as me being weak. I can't let him see it like that. You took Charlie to school already, right? Please tell me you didn't keep him here because of me."

"Mina, stop. Calm down. You're not going to school today." She hesitates. "And I didn't take Charlie to school today, Mina. I haven't been taking him for awhile."

Her eyes seem to well up with tears, but I'm just confused. "What do you mean?"

She shakes her head, obviously frustrated with me. "Just get dressed, Mina."

I can't though. "Where's Charlie?"

"Get _dressed_." She almost snaps the words at me in response, exiting the room and shutting the door.

I'm so confused. What is going on with my mom? Where could she possibly be taking me that's more important than school? And why is she acting like she is? This all seems so out of character. And most importantly, where's Charlie? What did her comments about him mean? Shaking my head and hoping to get answers soon, I glance at the bed to see she's laid an outfit out for me. The sight of it makes me sick.

A golden t-shirt. After that whole incident with Templestiltskin, I've hated that color. I can't see it without thinking of that quest and all that it entailed. I made too many mistakes. Why would my mom give me a shirt in this color? A red hoodie. I haven't worn red or hoodies since the Little Red Riding Hood quest. In fact, I disposed of them all. Where did my mom get this? She helped me get rid of them all. She was just as upset by them! So why would she have me wear it? There's jeans and black shoes as well, but those I don't mind.

My mind is trying to work out what I could do. I could get my own outfit without saying anything. But would that upset my mom? With the way she's acting, I honestly don't know. And I think it's in my best interests not to upset her right now. If I ask her about switching the outfits or why she chose this one, that might upset her as well. Which really just leaves me with one remaining option. I have to wear it. It's not like it'll hurt me or anything. It'll just bring up a lot of unpleasant memories for me.

After I'm dressed and downstairs, my mom doesn't speak a word to me. She just hands me a poptart, which I eat quickly. Then, she takes me to the car. I try to ask a few questions, but she gives me no response. She won't even let me see where she's taking us with her GPS on her phone that I didn't even know she had. This has got to be the strangest experience for me yet, and leaves no room for me to even think about the events of last night. All I can wonder is what is going on with my mom. That's when she pulls into a parking lot, and I get to find out where she's decided for us to go today. Not because she tells me, or because I see where she's looked on her GPS. It's because I can see the sign for the place. It doesn't make me feel good at all. From what I read on the sign, I think this is a doctor's office to help people with psychological problems. Does my mom think I have a psychological problem? What are we here for? I don't need any professional help dealing with my grief. I didn't when I thought Charlie was dead. Why would I need it now?

"Come on now, Wilhelmina." I blink and see my mom has opened the passenger door for me and is waiting for me to get out rather impatiently.

I unbuckle, stepping out of the car, and respond, " _Mina_ , Mom. It's _Mina_."

She shakes her head, saying nothing else as she leads me up to the front door and then inside. I'm dying to ask her what's going on - along with a multitude of other questions - but after her reaction to the few questions I actually voiced in the car, I doubt I'd get any answer. So, instead, I follow her silently in confusion. I sure hope someone explains what's going on right now.

When we get inside, my mom talks to someone behind the desk. She says we're here for an appointment with the regular doctor, but it leaves me feeling confused. What is that even supposed to mean? A regular doctor? I try to reason that maybe it's her regular doctor, and she just didn't feel that it was safe to leave me alone at home. I doubt it, due to how she's been treating me though. I've never even see a doctor here though, so how can one be regular?

"He's in his normal room, waiting for you." The receptionist says, smiling politely as my mom takes my hand as if I'm a young child and leads me back with her.

We walk down sterile white hallways that my mom seems to navigate with ease, as if she's been here before. She has to have been. But when? I don't remember her ever mentioning something like this. Finally, we reach a room, and she tries to lead me inside. I stop at the door way, however.

"Mrs. Grime and Wilhelmina! It's nice to see you." He says it in the nice, polite ways all doctors do, although in reality it's definitely not nice to see a patient come in. He's even dressed like a proper doctor in this position would be, or so I assume. But he's not one. I know that all too well.

I balk and refuse, and my mom practically has to drag me in as she apologizes repeatedly, saying, "I'm sorry, Doctor Teague, but it's bad enough now that I need to explain everything and have you work with her specifically. Surely you must know something!"

And she's right. Standing before us is black-haired, blue-eyed, Fae, Prince Teague. The Story himself. What is he doing here? And posing as a doctor no less! I scowl at him, trying to stay as far away as I can. What is wrong with my mom? What has he done to her?

"Slow down, please, and sit." He gestures towards three seats across from him as he too sits. My mom sits, but I refuse, crossing m arms and standing. I won't be lulled into a false sense of security by this monster. I've seen what he does too many times. What has he done this time? My heart aches when I look at him and I think about what happened when I traveled back in time, but I shove it aside and try to focus on the situation. "I know my advice hasn't been the most helpful because you were afraid to admit pretty much anything about what was going on these past few days since the first time you called me. However, I'm assuming now you will?"

"Now I will." My mom nods, but I'm just confused. What on earth does she mean? "But perhaps Wilhelmina should explain what she thinks first?"

"Of course." Teague smiles the typical doctor 'everything is going to be fine' smile at my mom before looking at me. "Now, Wilhelmina Grime, would you care to tell me about what's been going on in your life recently?"

"It's Mina Grimm." I respond angrily. "And no, I won't. You already know. I don't need to tell you."

My mom looks frustrated, throwing her arms out in front of her. "See?"

Teague glances at her holds a hand up to stop her before turning back to look at me. "But I don't, Mina." He says it very carefully, as if approaching a wounded animal. It just makes me even angrier, where as he seems completely calm, as if he sees this all the time. "You won't tell me anything?"

"No." I spit the word back at him.

"Mina!" My mom cries, obviously angry. "Please, behave yourself!"

Teague shakes his head. "Calm down, Sarah, this isn't anything new. I've seen this before, and the other people suffering from this peculiar psychological condition didn't want to discuss what they felt was going on with me either for a multitude of reasons. Why don't you tell me instead?"

She takes a deep breathe. "It started a while ago. Her class took a field trip to Babushka bakery, and my poor girl unintentionally caused a boy to go tumbling off the cat walk. The tour guide and a few of her classmates managed to get the boy back up, however she convinced herself that she did it with the help of her best friend, Nan, who was sick that day. She insisted that this boy - who happened to be her crush - started trying to get her to hang out with him for saving his life after that, and she refused for awhile till she fell for it. While this was happening, she kept insisting that I had told her about this 'curse' that was supposedly following our line. She claimed that it was the reason her father died, when he actually died due to his getting involved with a gang around here." She looks upset even as she says it. "She claimed I told her that we were descended from the Grimm brothers and that our last name is really Grimm, not Grime. All sorts of details about this curse were created by her, and she insisted that she solved this whole puzzle and found a book I said would help her at a shop that never existed."

"That's not what happened at a-" I begin to protest, but she cuts me off as she plows ahead.

"This whole curse talk continued, and she insisted that the boy she 'saved' had asked her to a dance. I let her get a dress because I couldn't bare to not let her go, even if she was crazy. Besides, her best friend Nan was going. However, then she started talking about this boy that never existed and how he was Nan's date and he'd come from the book she'd found." Teague raises an eyebrow as my mom continues. "Then she ended up going to the bakery again and said she and Nan had been kidnapped there by evil 'Fae' and the boy had come to try and save them, but just a day after the field trip the place had gone up in flames. Nan said it was just a prank that they'd all been dropped off there."

"I see." Teague says, nodding.

Sarah shakes her head. "No, there's more. Then, she went to a concert with Nan, and ended up having the poor girl take her back home super early and ruined the night for her, insisting that she was going to have to deal with something with that Grimm curse she created in her head. Nan and her fell out of a friendship, and when the girl had a party for the whole class that I suppose she had to invite Wilhelmina," I scowl harder as she uses my full name once again, "only for her to have to go out in the rain to say goodbye to a boyfriend. Wilhelmina's crush - the boy she claims to have saved - drove her, and they crashed. Nan died in the crash, but Mina insists she still alive and had this whole story with the curse to justify it. I know the girl's dead though; we attended her funeral. The rest is even worse. Her brother died in a fire and we had to move houses." Tears well up in hr eyes as she says it, and I'm horrified. What? Charlie can't be dead! None of this is true. None of it! "It just all goes down hill. She claims you were the reason for the curse, and that her imaginary friend who she said was her guardian was actually a part of you. I don't understand how it works, it's all very complicated. She really believes it though."

Teague nods. "I understand. I've seen this sort of thing before. What I would suggest is a special surgery procedure we've done before. It'll get rid of this dreadful fantasy and she'll recognize what actually happened."

My mind works to process this all as fast as I can. He wants to 'fix' my memory. No one seems to realize that this is all wrong. I'm right! But I can't say that. That's exactly what a person in my shoes would say. But perhaps, if I deny it and say I'd been saying everything and acting like that in a desperate attempt to get attention, I might get out of this? That would allow me to figure out how to fix this all.

"How soon can we do the surgery?" My mom sounds eager, and I cringe. She really thinks I'm crazy. How did this happen?

"Today, if you'd like." Teague suggest in response. I shake my head as fast and hard as I can, but I am ignored. "If you agree, I'll just need a few minutes to talk to Wilhelmina about all of this," He sure seems confident he can talk to me. Is that why he's caused all this mess to occur? Because there's no doubt in my mind that this is his fault, "and then I can go on to performing the surgery. It would be done in a few hours tops."

My mom looks nervous, and I start to hope that maybe I won't have to pretend I made this all up and know that I made it up, because it's real. Is she going to change her mind and back out of having me go into this surgery? "And you're sure it will work? She'll be perfectly safe?"

Teague looks away. "No surgery is one hundred percent safe or one hundred percent perfect. But it's always worked in the past, and no one has ever been injured in the process or died."

Here comes the fateful moment, and when I look at my mom's eyes, my heart sinks. She's going through with it. "Then go ahead. Do what needs to be done, but please, don't hurt her. I just want my daughter back." I stare at the ground, and my mom stands. "I'll wait outside. Would the surgery be in here...?"

"Oh yes." Teague nods. "You'd be surprised how simple the procedure is. Go on ahead. Like I said, I'm just going to talk to Wilhelmina here for a few minutes, okay?"

My mom nods her head to confirm she understands, standing up and passing me as she exits the room. She doesn't look at me eyes, doesn't seem to realize the betrayal radiating off of me. Why would she do this to me? How can she not believe me? What has happened to the world I know? It makes me want to cry, and I take a deep breathe. I refuse to cry in front of Teague. This has to be his fault. Cautiously, I look at him.

"I'm not going to talk to you." I mutter.

He just smiles back at me. "You just did, Mina." When I don't respond, just scowling at him, he says, "Will you please sit down across from me?"

When I make no move to do as he asks, he sighs, and reaches over to a table and grabs a few pictures. I watch him, confused. What is he going to show me? Is this some psychological test to find out how crazy I am, to see if this surgery works? None of this makes sense. This doesn't even seem like the correct procedures for something like this to happen. And then I get a look at the picture on top, and Brody's charming face smiles back. Why does he have a picture of Brody?

"Who is he in your story, Mina?" He asks, meeting my eyes and holding up the picture.

I mumble back, "My mom already told you."

He shakes his head. "I know what your mother told me. I want to know who he is to _you_."

I hesitate. Do I really want to talk? Then again, this seems to be my only chance. Perhaps, if I tell him who everyone is in a few of these pictures and then 'admit' that I made the story up to get more attention, then I can buy myself time. But if that doesn't work, it's possible I'm doomed.

Then, I talk. "That's Brody Carmichael. He's a good friend of mine and was my crush. I accidentally caused a chain reaction that had him falling off of a catwalk during a field trip, but I saved his life. He wouldn't leave me along after that, and we ended up dating for a while before _someone_ ," I say the words with venom, trying to see if he reacts in any way. He doesn't, "messed with his memory. He then dated my best friend and was in the crash where she died, but after I made a deal with a Fate to save her life he kissed her and awoke her from her 'coma,' fulfilling the Sleeping Beauty and Snow White curse. He dated her for awhile, before the same person messed with their memories after I did a quest to rescue my brother and caused one of the most amazing people I've ever met to sacrifice himself." I try to give as little names as possible, still looking at Teague to try and see if he's reacting at all. He's not, of course. "After that, we ended up dating again after the same person attacked them and I explained the curse that I'd never told him about. He invited me to a dance, but I kept disappearing because I was going back in time. Right when he was going to ask me something, something important I think, the same person who kept doing _horrible_ things blew up the Godmother guild, but the humans don't know the Godmothers were there. They think it's just an old recycling plant. Brody kept his memory due to a charm my friend stole for him, and then I went home. I don't know what's happened to him, as that was yesterday."

"And what about this girl?" Teague raises another picture.

And so I tell him about all the pictures. I tell him about Nan, and how she's been my best friend throughout this even though she was dating the guy she knew I had a crush on for awhile, and how she doesn't know that I'm the reason she originally died in a car crash only to be in a coma instead. I tell him about Nix, and how he helped me break into the Fae castle and rescue my brother. I also tell him how he helped me save my brother. I tell him about Ever, how she loathed me originally, especially when I made the mistake that cost us the most amazing guy in the world. I tell him about how she warmed up to Nix _and_ me, and how she decided she'd be my new Fae Godmother as my old one died in the fire. That nearly has me sobbing all over again. Yet as it all occurs, one thing starts to dawn on me. How does he know exactly who to ask about?

"I see." It makes me want to laugh. Either he knew this all already, or he doesn't believe a word. There's no way he 'sees.' But I don't laugh, because that would probably just confirm that I'm crazy. "And who's this?"

He holds up a picture of my brother, and I break, bursting into tears. "That's my brother, who was stolen from me because of a horrible person who didn't understand something that occurred a long time ago. He was born mute in order to keep him safe from that person. I had to save him after everyone though he was dead. But that doesn't matter, because he _is_ dead." I don't add that I believe he's only dead here, and not in the actual reality, because this can't be a real reality. "I made the entire story up, okay? I wanted to feel special and important, because my mom only seemed to pay attention to my brother. I wanted to believe my dad died for an important reason. I wanted to be able to explain the awful things that happened, even if I didn't like my explanation. I never thought they'd get me taken to a psychological doctor! I don't want surgery for something I know isn't real."

He pauses at this, staring at me wide eyed. "What?"

"I made the entire thing up!" I sob, flinching inwardly every time I tell the lie. I have to do it, to save myself. "None of it's true. None of it! I knew that all along. I just wanted to be able to explain things that made no sense to me and feel like I was important."

"Mina, you aren't telling the truth." He tries to say it like it's a fact, but he doesn't sound too confident. "You believe your story."

I shake my head. "No, I know it's not true."

"Mina, who am I in your story?" He asks, a desperate edge starting to slip into his voice.

"What does it matter? I just told you, I know it's wrong and I made it up for attention. I'm just a brat." I'm miserable saying it and that's reflected in the tone.

"Who _am_ I?" He sounds a bit angry now, and I flinch.

I manage to stutter out, "You were the horrible Fae who did all of those horrible things. You were a monster who cursed my family and believed lies about me. You ruined my perfectly normal life in my story. You were literally called the _Story_ in it."

"And you're saying that you made all that up and you know that?" He's really looking panicked. Shouldn't this please him? Shouldn't he be glad I'm not saying I still believe the story, that it's the truth? When I nod my head, he shakes his head. "This isn't good. This isn't good at all."

He looks over at his desk, and my eyes catch on something there. It takes me by surprise, because I can't believe it. I knew he had it, but seeing it here makes that all the more real. Not to mention I don't _expect_ it to be here. In fact, the shock of seeing it makes me comment on it before I can stop myself. I give myself away, even though I try not to.

"My mirror!" I exclaim, reaching to grab it.

He grabs my wrist, stopping me, and looks me in the eye. "You were lying. You _do_ believe the story."

"Let me go!" I snap. "Give me my mirror, fix whatever you've done to create this whole mess, and let me go! Send me back to the true world!"

"Calm down." He says, but I try to jerk away.

I probably look like a rabid animal. "Oh my gosh, let me go!"

Muttering under his breathe so I can't hear him, he waves his hand, and it's lights out for me. When I wake up, I can feel that my hands are tied behind my back with a chain that honestly _really_ hurts. My ankles are chained as well, and from what I can tell, I'm on my knees. I'm not gagged, thankfully, but I have a feeling that screaming won't help me in this dark room. It just doesn't feel right. The air feels familiar, but not normal. The one thought I have about where I could be panics me, and I try to jerk away.

"Calm _down_ , Mina." Teague's voice orders from outside the room. A door opens, shedding light into the room and nearly blinding me, and in the prince steps. I can now see why the floor felt weird; I'm kneeling on a bunch of straw. He has me in a prison cell. Fantastic. "All that jerking around is _not_ going to help you."

"Let me go, you jerk!" I hiss back.

He leans against the doorway. "Did you not like being thought of as crazy? I'm sorry." If he's sincere, I'm Annalora Goldmine. I sure hope he's not sincere. "It seemed like the best way to kidnap you."

"Kidnap me?" I want to punch his face and make it stop looking perfect, like all Fae faces seem to look these days. "You did all that in order to kidnap me?"

"Well duh. I didn't do it for fun." He pauses. "Well, I did. It was actually rather entertaining. How soon did you figure out it was all a little off? I know it wasn't the way a normal doctor would handle things, but it got the job done still. Although I'll admit, your attempt to lie and act as if you made the whole story up and that it wasn't really true almost worked. You almost had me convinced that I'd messed up, although I suppose kidnapping you would've still worked. I could've fixed your memory. I'm glad showing you your mirror got a reaction that I needed from you, to prove you did actually know it was true."

He showed me my mirror on purpose? Of course he did. It was just a ploy. He wanted to test me with it, and I fell for it. "What would you have done if I hadn't responded like that?"

He huffs. "I just told you. I would've kidnapped you anyways and restored your memory - or found out you were lying - like I did with everyone else. They're probably looking for you right now, not that it matters. I highly doubt they can get to the Fae plane, after all."

"What's the point of all this? Why drag me off to the Fae plane? Why create that whole set up?" It just seems really strange.

He winks. "That's for me to know and you to find out. I'll be back later."

* * *

 **Well, what did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Was it interesting? I really enjoyed writing yet another kidnapping done by Teague. Did you guys realize Mina's mom thought she was crazy from the beginning? Did you realize she thought Mina made the entire curse and everything up? What did you think of Teague being the doctor? Did you realize everything was really weird with how he was being the doctor? What did you think of the story Sarah told that was the 'truth?' How about Mina's whole plan to try and get out of the surgery? Did you think Sarah was going to let them do the surgery? Did you expect Teague to actually know what was going on? If so, when did you figure it out? Were you expecting Mina to mess up when she saw her mirror? Were you even expecting her to get to see her mirror? And were you expecting Teague to kidnap her? Let me know in a review, please!  
**

 **Fun fact time (I forgot last time, but I think my self-given challenge probably works as the fun fact)! This one wasn't exactly drawn from a specific request, however throughout the reviews I've gotten some requests for more Meague, and so I decided to go with this. This story has been one of my ideas for awhile and I originally contemplated making it its own story. However, I like it as a one-shot (possibly one that will get a follow up "chapter" here later), especially since it allows you guys to imagine where the story might go.  
**

 **Also, as I said previously, please suggesting one-shot ideas to me! That's the whole point of this experiment! If you suggest some happy ones, I might actually make them happy versus messing with them like I did last time. xD I have gone through the old suggestions, so don't be surprised if a few more of those pop up soon! ^-^ I'll probably throw in some ideas for one-shots I'd come up with that I found earlier, as I still liked a lot of them. c:  
**

 **As of right now, I am probably going to be writing a few one-shots for awhile. I've been reading a lot - which has drained my emotions quite a bit and is just exhausting to me - and so I need some time to recuperate even though I'll still be reading before I can jump back into fanfiction. There will possibly be some longer one-shots in here that'll tell a full out story following a quest (depending on the lengths) so you guys will have to keep an eye out for that. I'm considering quests following stories such as Frozen, the Princess Bride (movie, sorry!), and Labyrinth. If you have any suggestions for other quests I could follow, let me know! Let me know if those options interest you as well.**

 **Anyways, until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	11. It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

**Number Eleven - It Was A Dark And Stormy Night**

 **Well, here I am again with yet another one-shot for you guys. As I said last chapter, I'll probably be focusing on one-shots for a little while till I get my inspiration for my stories. My brain is still pretty drained from all my reading. Sorry! Hopefully you guys like this one-shot, along with the others I'm going to be writing! I'm really enjoying it, actually. cx**

 **Evx : Ah, but it can be a one-shot. :p I'm glad it was good enough that you wanted more though! Perhaps I'll post a one-shot later that continues it. c: I apologize for hurting you last chapter, although I'm glad it was still great. And aw, thank you! I'm glad you loved it so much!  
**

 **Life as a Siren : I'm glad you love this, and that the whole thing was cute! ^-^  
**

 **Now, let's get to this one-shot. I'm actually super excited for it, and I think you guys will hopefully like it! I think it'll be an interesting one for sure. It's definitely very fun to write.  
**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I sit at the window, watching as the raindrops splash against it and then race down. Lightning flashes every now and then with thunder rumbling quickly after it, but I don't jump. In fact, I don't even flinch. I'm kind of numb to these sort of storms now, although when I was younger I would've been hiding somewhere with my mom or brother hugging me. Honestly, once you get past the initial shock and danger, it's actually pretty...well, pretty. I smile a little, staring up at the sky. If it weren't so cold outside, I'd just go on out and sit on the porch. However, it's too cold for that - especially with this weather - and I have a feeling my mother would murder me if I went outside. So, I don't.

Instead, I glance over at the couch, where Nix has fallen asleep. He kind of treats my house as a home away from homes, often staying here. He and Charlie are the bestest of friends, and I think Nan is starting to get a bit defensive of her positions as both Charlie's and my best friend. Nix and Charlie don't notice though. I believe this time they were watching some Marvel movie. When I look at the other side of the couch, past the TV, I see that Charlie has fallen asleep. No surprise there. They both seem exhausted, and I chuckle. They're such boys.

That's when there's a loud thump, and I glance at the front door, which shakes. We're the next room over. If whatever is out there came over to the window, I could see it. Possibly. It would definitely see me, and possibly Nix and Charlie as well. I glance back at those two, but they're still asleep. I stand up shakily as whatever is outside slams itself against the front door again. Slowly, I make my way over, afraid to do what I'm about to do. It's probably incredibly stupid, but I can't help it. I have to open the door and find out what's out there. If it's a Fae, I'm sure I'll regret it. Then again, if it got this far, I doubt me not opening the door would do much. If anything, it would just delay for a few minutes, if even that long. No, it's probably smarter to just open the door and get this over with.

So, I do, and at first I see nothing outside. It's exactly how it always looks. There's no sign of anything living, let alone something that would be slamming against the door. Is this a trick, to lure me outside, so that I can get attacked? Is this a sign that means I'm going to have to deal with a quest? I try to think of stories with pounding against the door, and the first one to come to mind is The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. If Teague seriously sends that one at me, I'll never look at him the same way again. Then again, I'd rather not ever look at him again. Period. For a moment, I almost consider heading outside to actually look around, even though I'm sure that's what whoever outside wants me to do. But I force myself not to, instead moving to shut the door. I don't because of what I heart. A short, frustrated, angry, desperate, helpless bark, if that's even possible. I look down - as that's where it came from - and notice what's there with wide, round eyes.

It's a dog. To be more specific, a black Pekingese. I only know the breed because recently Nan has had her heart set on getting one. Either that or a Leonberger, which is a giant dog. I have to admit, I'm going to hope for her sake and the dog's that she chooses a Pekingese. The dog looks up at me, and there are many different emotions in its face that a dog shouldn't be able to make. Perhaps my joke about Teague giving me The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf as a quest was more correct than I thought. I grab the door knob nervously, and that's when I get a good look at the eyes. I'd recognize those blue eyes anywhere.

"Teague," I say, once I identify the dog for who he is, "If you're trying to fool me, it's not going to work. You look too much like yourself for this plan to do you any good. Besides, even if you didn't, I know you can shapeshift."

"This isn't some attempt to trick you." Teague's voice sounds completely normal coming from the dog, but unhappiness radiates off him. "I need your help."

I raise an eyebrow, hand still on the door knob, leaning against the doorway. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Don't make me say it again!" He sounds agitated, but unlike in his human form it doesn't scare me. It just makes me want to giggle. He doesn't look all that scary as a Pekingese.

I stare down at him, which actually makes me quite pleased due to the fact that normally I have to look _up_ at him. "You got three minutes, dog. Start talking."

He sounds outraged and nearly howls, "Don't call me dog!"

I shoot back. "Two minutes."

"Look, my parents wanted me to get used to trying to rule 'fairly' without all my 'anger issues,' and so they had me rule over this case with some Fae. I ruled against a witch, and let's just say she wasn't happy about it. I ran into her later, and she cursed me. So now I'm stuck like _this_ ," He sounds quite disgusted, "and stuck on your plane, and I have no idea how to end the curse. Not to mention I'm all _wet_ and I _smell_. I'm a prince. This is awful!"

He's quite a whiny dog. "And you're here because...?"

"I have nowhere else to go!" He's whimpering now, and I can see how weak and vulnerable he is. As if he realizes this whole act is getting to me, he plops down on my deck, and stares up at me with the cutest puppy eyes he can muster. Seeing as he's a dog, it works a lot better than if he were in his Fae prince form. I keep my one hand on the door as he pleads, "Please, Mina."

I take a deep breathe before muttering. "Fine. You can stay-"

Teague looks so relieved, and his tail starts to wag. I can't help it. The giggles I've been trying to hold back come spilling out, and I sink to my knees, happy tears rolling down my cheeks. This is _priceless_. When he breaks the curse - because I'm sure he will - I'll never let him live it down. He's my enemy, and I have blackmail. He was turned into a dog, and he had to go to me for help. Yes, priceless is definitely the word I'd use to describe it.

Eventually I manage to stop, grabbing my side which hurts from all my laughing as I take deep breathes. Looking rather offended, Teague says, "Are you done?"

"Laughing? Yes." I wipe my final, laughing tears from my eyes. "Telling you the rules? No. For one thing, you can only stay if I manage to convince my mom. Got that? If she says no, it's a no. Secondly, you're not allowed to talk to anyone else. If my mom or brother figure out who you are, you won't be allowed to stay. Talking would give that away. That _also_ means you're going to have to respond to whatever silly dog name they decide to give you if you can stay. And you have to act like a dog. Got all that?"

"Arf." He responds halfheartedly. When I glare at him, he concedes. "Fine."

"Good." Before I can stop him, he hops up on my lap and _licks my face_. I push him away, wiping at my cheek furiously as I gag. "Oh my gosh, why would you do that? You just _kissed_ me! Bad dog. That's so gross. Ewww." I'm probably exaggerating, partly on purpose and partly because I'm just that caught off guard by it. "Gross gross gross."

He actually has the nerve to look offended. "So when I'm in my _normal_ Fae form, it's totally fine for me to kiss you, but heaven forbid that when I'm a _dog_ I lick your face. Talk about speciesist. I mean, honestly, you told me to act like a normal dog. Normal dogs lick their owners or even other humans. Is that a problem?"

There are so many things I want to say in response to what he just said. For one thing, it was _not_ totally fine for him to kiss me. Those were completely different circumstances. For another thing, I'm not being speciesist. I've had dogs lick my face before. But Teague doing it is just weird and seems so wrong, and I have a feeling he knows that. For yet another thing, he doesn't have to _lick_ me to act like a normal thing. And finally, yes, it is a problem.

"I regret my decision already, dog." I say instead, and I pick him up before shutting the door.

He tries to squirm out of my arms, and I shake my head at him as he says, "Put me down right now, Mina!"

"Nope. Humans _also_ carry small dogs. Besides, I don't trust you right now, and I doubt my mom would like me letting you walk around just yet. It wouldn't seem natural anyways." He sniffs in disgust, and I chuckle. "Now stop talking and act like a good dog, okay?"

He gives me a rather indignant bark back, and I roll my eyes before I stroll right into the kitchen, where my mom sits reading a book. At least, she _was_ reading a book. I think the barking inside the house alerted her that something was up, pulling out of the trance she gets into when she reads. When she sees me carry Teague into the room, she looks startled and frustrated.

"Mina, where did you get that creature?" She says, and Teague barks in an offended manner at her. "It's all wet and dripping all over the floor."

"He was out on the porch, trying to get inside and out of the rain. Look how helpless and vulnerable the poor thing looks." I'm rather pleased, getting to talk about Teague in such manner. No doubt he hates me right now. That just makes me enjoy this even more. "Come on, mom. Surely you can see how _cute_ this dog is." I hesitate, before pretending to be desperate for this dog. I'll probably get teased by Teague for that later as well, but now I have ammo to counteract him with. "Can he stay?"

My mom shakes her head. "He might have an owner who's out there looking for him, Mina."

"He doesn't, Mom. He'd have a collar if he did. Besides, if he does have one, we could just give him back if they come knocking." I have the thought that if the witch wanted to take Teague away, that might be exactly what they would do. I'll have to be careful, as my mom and Charlie can't know why anyone coming and claiming to be his owner is wrong for sure. "And I'm sure Charlie would love to have a dog here."

As if on cue, Charlie rushes in, with Nix following quickly. My nixie friend is the first to explain. "We heard a dog barking which woke us up, and then Charlie heard you talking about said dog, so..." He shrugs, as if to say there was nothing he could have done. Although he does eye Teague rather warily, and I accidentally hold dog Teague the tiniest bit tighter. If Nix were wanting to get back at what the prince has done, this would be the perfect opportunity. It would be the perfect opportunity for _me_ to do that as well. Maybe a while ago, I would have. But after time traveling, I don't think I could do that.

My mom sighs, as if realizing she's fighting a losing battle, although Nix doesn't seem convinced. That doesn't matter though. _He_ doesn't live here, so his vote doesn't count right now, and that means Charlie and I outvote my mom. "What would we even call him?"

Charlie quickly signs, " _Prince_."

He has got to be kidding me. I stare at my brother, and I feel Teague wag his tail. No doubt if he were himself, he'd be smirking. I say in response, "I think he looks more like a 'Stupid.'" That makes him stop wagging his tail, but Charlie shakes his head in response. Sighing, I say, "I was kidding, Charlie. Prince is fine for a name."

Teague's tail begins to wag again, and I roll my eyes when I'm sure Nix and my family aren't looking. Nix seems to be on edge, but I make no comment about that to him. I really want to ask him what sort of threat a wet dog could be, because if it was Fae it probably would've transformed already. However, I have a feeling that he's probably coming up with some argument already for me, and I don't want to face it.

"Fine. Prince can stay." My mom says, heaving a sigh as she picks her book back up. "But if he starts causing problems I don't want him around."

Charlie cheers, and inwardly I breathe a sigh of relief. Now I won't have to deal with however Teague was intending to get back at me if this backfired and he wasn't allowed to stay. Then again, maybe he was going to use magic to make my mom let him stay. Can he do Fae magic as a dog? I'm not quite sure. I think it'd defeat the purpose of the curse, so I'm going to assume not. Hopefully I won't regret it.

"Where will he sleep though?" Nix asks it, and I almost want to scowl at him. He really doesn't want us to take Teague in, does he? Does he know something is up? I can't imagine how he would've figured out Teague is this Pekingese, but what if he knows the dog is Fae? That might cause some issues. I just hope he doesn't bring it up in front of my mom and my brother. Surely he must realize I recognize it and know what I'm doing? "And how about food?"

"He can sleep in my room." I tilt my head in thought. "I'll grab a bowl and put some meat in it to feed him for tonight. Tomorrow, I could take Charlie and we could pick out a collar, leash, a few toys, that sort of thing."

Teague tenses, and I have a feeling he's appalled at the thought. I ignore that though as my mom nods her head. "I suppose that could work."

"Great!" I try to sound excited, but the pleased feeling I was getting from succeeding is starting to wear off as I realize I'm going to have to live with Teague for who knows how long until he can break his curse.

"Have him go to the bathroom outside before you let him loose." My mom advises, and inwardly I giggle.

I nod my head, maintaining a serious face, before turning and walking back to the front door. Once I'm outside, I step onto the grass - there's still a thunderstorm - being careful not to slip. That tends to happen to me way too much, due to my clumsiness. Then, I proceed to pretty much drop Teague. He lets out a yelp of surprise - the fact that he's begun to make dog noises so naturally is quite amusing to me - but he's fine when he lands in the grass.

"I'm not going to ' _go_ ' outside!" He says, staring up at me. "I'm a civilized Fae. I don't know what you're expecting, but-"

"You are a dog. Dogs don't _get_ to go to the bathroom inside." I say, cutting him off. "If you want to be here, you need to act like an actual dog."

"At least look away." He sounds pitiful saying. "This is so undignified."

"Can I trust you not to do anything?" I say in response, slightly suspicious.

"If I wanted to do something, I would've done it already." He has a point. "Besides, what could I do? Run away? That would sort of defeat the point of coming to you for help and saying I needed to stay in your home, wouldn't it?"

I nod. "I suppose. I'll wait on the porch. Just come back when you're done."

I turn away, starting to giggle at the situation all over again. That's the one bright side in all of this. I get to see Teague be humiliated. I sit with my back against the closed front door, fiddling with my hands and looking at them. What is taking Teague so long? He needs to hurry up or I'm going to leave him outside. I am actually starting to consider that option as a few minutes go by, and just as I'm about to do it he comes back up to the porch, looking like he's just been tortured. That makes me start giggling all over again. However, I quickly stop when I realize what Teague is about to do, and I shove him away when he comes over to try and start licking me.

"Stop doing that!" I say, crossing my arms.

He just looks at me, trying to give me innocent puppy eyes. I don't fall for them for a second. Instead, I lift him up again - much to his protest - and take him inside, shutting the front door behind me. Once inside, I take him up to my room and set him on the ground. In an instant, he's sniffing at my backpack on the ground.

"Homework?" He asks, glancing over at me.

I nod my head, and then have a thought, so I quickly add, "And if you eat any of it so help me, Teague, I will murder you and have you kicked out of this house. I already get into enough trouble at school, and no one ever believes the 'my dog ate my homework' excuse, even if it's valid."

He flinches away from the backpack, and looks at me in disgust. "Why would I eat your homework?"

I sigh in exasperation. "Because you're you and you hate me and want me to suffer."

He seems to ponder this, laying down on the ground. "If I hate you, why did I come to you for help?"

"Don't ask me!" I say in response, flopping backwards on the bed. "Ask yourself."

I turn on to my stomach, opening my laptop up. It happens to be open to the tab where I was rewatching a Once Upon A Time episode - since Downton Abbey is over and I have to wait for the next season of OUAT to come back on - but I leave that open for now. I run through a quick checklist of homework in my head, and when I realize I've already done it all, want to jump for joy.

That is, till I turn around and see Teague chewing on one of my _shoes_ on the ground, causing me to leap to my feet. "Stop it! Bad dog!"

I toss the shoes away from him and glare, but he just shrugs, if it's even possible for a dog to do that. "Sorry?"

"Why were you even _doing_ that?" I ask, crossing my arms and scowling as I sit on the edge of the bed.

"You know, scowling messes up your face. You shouldn't do that." If dogs can wink, he does.

"Just answer my stupid question." I'm annoyed.

If he were himself, he'd be smirking at me. "Because I knew it'd annoy you." I half expect him to add 'Duh' because of his tone.

"I regret my decision to let you in already." I say, putting a hand to my forehead. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"I know why you did." He says, and when I glance at him with a question look, he says, "Because you _looove_ me."

I shake my head. "Now I know you're delusional. Or you're not actually Teague. That seems more likely, although Teague _is_ delusional." I drum my fingers against the temple of my forehead in thought. "Although I don't see what you get out of pretending to be Teague and having me let you stay here. Are you intending to kill me?"

The dog has the nerve to look offended. "How can you even question who I am?"

I roll my eyes. "You're right. No one else is as insufferable as you."

"Besides," Teague adds, "you almost ended up married to me, before you pulled whatever trick you pulled on me. So either you fell in love with me, or I'm right and you were trying to kill me." I decide not to say that the Godmothers originally _did_ send me to kill him, or that he's correct and I did fall in love with him. "Of course, saying Jared's name sort of messed that up. You aren't very good at the whole 'romance' thing, are you?"

"Gee, maybe that's because you keep altering people's memories around me so that anytime I get into a relationship, it gets forgotten." I say in response in a rather irritated fashion, because it actually has impacted me a lot more than he probably realizes. Over and over again my relationships have been forgotten, and it's not fair.

Teague actually looks slightly offended. "I didn't erase Brody's memory this time? Although I'm not sure it counts as you guys dating."

"You can't erase his memory or alter it though, because of the charm. So that doesn't count." I point out.

He sniffs in response. "I suppose." I have a feeling that if he could have, he would have messed with Brody's memories. That's just the sort of thing Teague would do. Frankly, it gets really annoying really fast. There's a lull, and then he says, "Anyways, since you were love with Jared and Jared was actually a part of me, obviously you are in love with me." He pauses, considering this, and says, "Well, a part of me anyways."

I shake my head. "In your dreams, maybe."

"Lying is a bad habit, Mina." He says in response, sticking his tongue out. Although he could be panting, though I doubt it. He probably just wants it to look like that so he can't get called out by me for it.

"I'm not lying." I say in response, shaking my head.

"That's what you're telling yourself. But I know the truth, due to all of my wisdom." His tail is wagging.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, is that what you call all the cobwebs in your head?"

"Ouch." Is his response. There's another silence - not too awkward, but still slightly - before he says, "Can I have something to eat?"

I consider it. "Sure. I'll get you a bowl and see if I can find any mea-"

He looks horribly disgusted at the thought. "You're going to make me eat food out of a bowl on the ground? That's barbaric!"

"It's what normal dogs do." I say in response. "And you're supposed to be acting like a normal dog."

He shakes his head. "No. No way. I'm not going to sink down to such a humiliating level. I just won't eat."

He sits on the ground, and I just roll my eyes. "Whatever. Have it your way. I'll be waiting for when you have to let go of your ego and beg for food."

He ends up laying down, silent. I don't say anything either to restart the conversation. Instead, I stand up, picking up my backpack and moving it over to beside the door. There's no way I'm going to risk forgetting it in the morning. As I turn back around, Teague has rolled over on to his back, and seems to be contemplating something.

"Mina," He says slowly, "you don't want me here, do you?"

"Not particularly, no." I pause. "Well, I like to have this ammo for humiliating you, but besides that, I don't want you here."

He seems to consider this. "So you want to break the curse as much as I do?"

"Um, maybe not as much as you want to, but sure, I guess." I don't see where this is going.

"You know, true love's kiss tends to break curses..." I have a feeling he wants to go one direction with this conversation, but I take it a different way instead.

"Ha." I snort, shaking my head. "There's no such thing as true love. I've seen enough to have learned that the hard way."

Teague actually looks appalled to hear me say that, rolling over and standing up as he slowly walks over. "What?"

I shake my head. "I know you heard me. There's no such thing as true love. It's honestly something I would've thought you would agree with. True love is made up by people who want to think that there's something out there that can solve anything. But there isn't. True love is impossible. It literally can't exist." Even I'm taken aback by how bitter I sound.

He actually decides to argue about this. If anything, you'd think he'd agree with me, or that I'd be arguing that true love was real to him. Not this. "That's not true at all. You have to know that there's true love out there."

"That would mean I'd get a happy ending though, Teague. And I don't. Do you know why?" I don't give him a chance to answer. "Because I'm a Grimm and I'm cursed."

His response is, "Oh come on, stop being melodramatic."

"Why would I even expect you to understand?" I say, exasperated. "It was a ridiculous notion. You're the whole reason I'm cursed."

"Technically, you're the reason you're cursed." He points out, but I ignore him. When he realizes I don't intend to respond, he says, "So if you don't believe in true love or its kiss, how about we test it?"

I don't like the tone of his voice. "And how would you suggest we do that?"

If he were human, he'd grin. "You kiss me."

I snort. "Why would I kiss you, Teague? Even if true love _were_ real, I doubt you'd be mine. You've made my life miserable."

He actually looks slightly disappointed, and I get punched in the gut with guilt I don't understand. "Oh. Ya."

"Were you actually betting that a kiss from me would work?" I can't wrap my mind around it.

"No." I'm not sure how much I believe him. "I was just looking for an excuse to get you to kiss me."

That takes me by surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Because then you would've gotten embarrassed afterwards and your cheeks could've gone red and I would've told you that true love's kiss won't break this curse, as I know that already." I hate him.

That's when Nix comes barging into the room. I squeak in surprise, jumping, but he doesn't seem to notice that he's given me a heart attack. He focuses on Teague instead, glaring at him. Teague begins to growl in response. Oh _crap_. This is just _great_. This is _exactly_ what I wanted.

"I heard people talking in here." He says suspiciously.

I try to think of an excuse, and when I see my computer screen - still lit up - I realize I have one. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must not have realized how loud my computer was."

He stops short. "What?"

"My computer. I was watching a TV show, and I guess I didn't realize how loud it was." I spin the computer around for a moment to show him it's actually open to a show before spinning it back towards me. "Did you and Charlie finish your movie?"

"No, he fell asleep again. Your mom is taking him up to his bed." He's still eyeing Teague warily. "I'm going to watch it with him another time, when we're both more awake."

"So you're going to be leaving now, right?" I ask, and he looks a little hurt. Oops. "I didn't mean it like that."

He hesitates. "Well, actually, I was hoping we could talk a little."

"Nix, it's past 11 pm." I say in response, trying not to upset him. "Honestly, I should be going to sleep. You know about how hard it's been for me to go to sleep, what with the nightmares when I actually can and just the fact that it's been troubling me. I should've been trying a little while ago. I'm sorry." I pause, and add in a hopefully positive voice, "Tomorrow, maybe? We could talk at school. Or you could come home and talk to me before watching your movie with Charlie."

"Oh, ya, I guess that'd work." He looks slightly dejected, and I feel super bad. I hop to my feet, running over and giving him a hug and a smile. That seems to cheer him up a little. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

I nod my head, and he heads out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Then, I breathe a sigh of relief. The fact that I didn't close that tab really saved Teague's butt. He'd better be thankful for that. However, when I turn around around to look and see if I get any thanks, Teague isn't on the floor. I go to look around the room for him, and find him laying on my bed. He doesn't seem very thankful.

"Well you guys are certainly close." He says it with no emotion, and I can't figure out what he's trying to get at. "After all the kissing you guys have done, I'm surprised you guys aren't going on dates yet."

I raise an eyebrow. "Um, in case you don't remember, I only ever _kissed_ Nix to save my own life. He was helping me. Besides, it wasn't really kissing, and he has a crush on Ever." I frown. "And anyways, I have a boyfriend. Well, pretty much a boyfriend. Brody. Or have you forgotten?" Then, I pause. "What does it matter to you?"

"Nevermind." I swear his eyes are gray for a moment - I don't know if it was for longer, because I only just notice then - before they switch back to their normal blue, and I force myself to believe that I made it up.

"Now off the bed." I order, pointing at the ground.

Normal Teague is back. "What? You expect me to sleep on the floor? That is completely barbaric."

I nod my head. "Yes, I expect you to sleep on the floor. And it's not barbaric."

His argument is pretty stupid. "If you believe that it's not barbaric, you sleep on the floor. I'll take the bed." He looks pleased by his logic.

I glare at him. "Would you prefer sleeping outside?"

He looks horrified. "You wouldn't make me do that!"

I put my hands on my hips. "Do you want to test _that_?"

"No." He shakes his head, moving to lay down at the end of the bed. "There's plenty of room for both of us."

"No. Nuh uh." I shake my head furiously. "Off the bed. Now."

I bet he'd be pouting if he could. "Oh come _on_ , Mina. Surely you aren't that cruel...?"

"Off." I keep my hands on my hips.

He gives me the puppy eyes. "Surely you wouldn't want to make such a good-looking puppy sleep on the ground?"

I shake my head. "That's it." I lift him up, and because he squirms he falls out of my arms onto the ground. "There. Now stay off my bed."

"This is cruelty to animals." He whimpers, staring up at me as I lay down on my bed. I don't bother to change. There's no way I'm going to do that with Teague around. "You're such a speciesist."

"For the last time, I am not!"

* * *

 **That might've been my favorite one-shot to write so far. I thought it was a funny - and maybe a bit ridiculous - one-shot idea that would be kind of cute, so I figured why not? Hopefully you guys liked it! Was it good? Bad? What did you think of the beginning, especially with the title of this particular one-shot? Did it shock you that there was a Pekingese at the door, and what did you think of that? What did you think of the interaction between Mina and Teague? What was your favorite part? How did you feel about Teague's portrayal? And what about the fact that he was cursed? Did you expect someone to figure it out? Were you expecting the fact that I mentioned Mina had a TV show on her screen to come into play later? Please let me know in a review!  
**

 **For this chapters fun fact, I actually got the idea for this off of a roleplay I tried to do on another site. The idea was that this girl's guardian angel had disguised himself as a dog and was watching over her, and he was in love with her. However, she's dating, and he didn't like that very much. I didn't stick to that plot very much, but I drew the idea from that and was really liking the idea of writing it. Hopefully you guys liked it too!**

 **Please continue to give me other one-shot ideas. I promise that I am actually looking at them and intending to write some. There were plenty of requests for Meague, which is why I've been writing it so much. I plan on throwing some others out there soon, along with taking some other things to throw more your way. c: Please let me know if you liked this one-shot, and as I just said, let me know what others you would like to see!**

 **Until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	12. A Priceless Opportunity

**Number Twelve - A Priceless Opportunity**

 **Hey guys, you'll never guess who's back. That's right, me! I know what you guys are all thinking. "Oh my goodness, Dagger, why are you not working on your other fanfictions already?" And I promise, _promise_ that I will try and update them soon. I'm just really in the mood for one-shots, especially with all the reading I'm doing. While I was writing this I was trying to figure out why I hadn't gotten any email about the one-shot before it being put up, and realized I forgot to add it. Oops. Sorry about that! It would've been out sooner if I hadn't forgotten that step. cx  
**

 **Also, I'm going to shamelessly advertise for one minute, but Evx and I currently have a collab story called "Playing Against Fates" up. So, if you've read either of our stories, please check that one out! We're super excited about it. xD**

 **Evx : That's fine that you don't have an idea. If you do though, let me know! ^-^ And thank you! It was super fun, and I'm glad it had the elements that could make it a good story! I might consider doing a follow up thing for it, but I don't know. c; We'll have to see! I'm glad you loved it, and that doggy Teague was adorable! I was hoping he would be. cx And thank you!**

 **This one-shot - and the next one - came from the reviews from heywassuphelloo, Pyromaniactic Pineapple, and Ash. If either of you two end up reading this (and the next one), I hope you guys like it! Also, heywassuphelloo (again, if you read this), I'll be throwing a Nix and Ever one-shot at you guys soon (hopefully)! I agree that the ship isn't as appreciated as it should be and is normally shunted to the back, and seeing as most of my stories are Meague, I hope you guys would like to see that one coming.**

 **Anyways, on with the show! Let's see what mayhem I can stir up with _this_ one-shot. *insert my lovely little evil facial expression here***

* * *

 _Teague's Point of View_

* * *

Waking up in a bed that's not your own is honestly an incredibly disconcerting experience. I blink my eyes multiple times, trying to make myself believe that I'm dreaming. This room is _not_ red and black. It's too nicely painted to be my own, with whites and golds and blues. I sit up and push the blankets off myself, and in shock realize that these are not my clothes. Or my skin, for that matter. I swing my legs to the the edge of the bed, and when I stand up find myself looking at a mirror.

A boy stares back at me, but I can see right off the bat that it's not me. If I hadn't figured it out based off of all the weird things so far, this confirms it. The boy who stares back at me is an inch or two shorter than what I normally stand at. He has blue eyes that are different mine, so that rather than terrifying people into submission they make everyone want to be around you. His blonde hair - even though I just woke up in his body - is messed up in that perfect way, yet I feel that my style looks better. Oh yes, I know exactly who's body I'm in now, and I have to resist the urge to punch myself in order to ruin his too perfect face that somehow has Mina unable to take her eyes off of him whenever he's around. She's so fascinated by this stupid guy who's all looks and no brains. However, I manage to resist bu reminding myself that I'm in his body. I'm not sure how, but I am, and hurting myself doesn't seem like a very good idea when it will only hurt me and not hurt him.

I try hard, but I can't think of anything that would've lead to this situation occurring. How on earth did I end up in another body? And in Brody Carmichael's, of all people? Does that mean he's in mine too? The thought horrifies me. That idiot, walking around in my body? I can't imagine anything worse, except for me being trapped in his. Seeing that both are occurring, this situation certainly is at the top of my list of awful things that could occur today. Probably because it actually is happening.

"Brody?" The woman's voice is followed by a knock on the door. "Are you up yet? Don't forget, you have school today."

That must be his mom, and so I respond quickly, "I'm getting dressed right now!"

It takes me by surprise - even though it shouldn't - to hear Brody's voice spilling out of my mouth. His mouth. At the moment, it's pretty much the same thing, so I guess I don't need a distinction. Shrugging it off, I move to get dressed. I probably should - at least for now - pretend that nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. After all, an opportunity has been handed to me to get back at Brody - although I'm not sure how to use it - and I don't want to waste it. And when I think that, something dawns on me. Mina is Brody's girlfriend. I've had to deal with having to see them together pretty much every time that I look in her mirror, except for whenever she's asleep. Thank goodness for that. So, if I'm in Brody's body and can act at least close to what he normally acts like - which shouldn't be too hard, seeing as there's no doubt that I'm better than him - then Mina will think I'm him. I can totally use this to my advantage.

It doesn't take me long to get dressed in an outfit I've seen Brody wear before. I didn't want to experiment with outfits in case I wore something Brody didn't normally wear - although he really should get some fashion help, he could be doing so much better with how he dresses - and then try to mimic the way Brody walks as I go downstairs, backpack in hand after grabbing it from at the top of the stairs. Which is harder than it would appear. Seriously, how does he not have any physical problems from walking like this? It might not _look_ very different from a normal person's walk, but it definitely is.

"Oh good, you're all dressed!" The same voice from before speaks, and I look into the kitchen to see a maid - who looks nothing like Brody - dusting in there. "Your parents called and said they won't be back for a little while longer, Brody." She looks a bit nervous. "You woke up later than usual, so you don't have time to eat breakfast if you want to make it to school on time and pick up your, um, girlfriend." The ginger actually has the nerve to look disgusted by even calling Mina that. Does she not approve of Carmichael's relationship with Mina? Good. I don't either.

Brody seems like he'd try and be 'nice' in this situation, and while I don't like it, I pretend that I'm fine with that. I also choose to ignore her comment about Mina for now, although I don't forget it. "It's alright." I give her a warm smile, which seems to have her relaxing with relief. "I'll be fine. See you after school."

Before she can say anything else and give me any more opportunities to goof up and show that I'm _not_ Brody, I grab the only car keys by the table at the front door - I realize that they live in a pretty puny mansion compared to my castle as I go, which pleases me - and head outside. It's easy to spot the car I've seen him drive Mina around in before, although there are several others. Shouldn't his family be doing more with their money than spending it on cars? At least I do some things for the benefit of my kingdom. They seem to do nothing for the poor in their community. Shaking my head, I hop in, and go as quickly as I can - without going fast enough to get in trouble with the earth authorities, as I don't know if I can use magic while in this human boy's body - to Mina's house. At the gate, I see that Mina's already waiting, backpack over her shoulders. Her cautious expression as she looks around and her stance that shows she's on her guard relaxes when she sees my car, and when I roll to a stop, she quickly opens the passenger door and sits inside.

"Thanks again for always coming to get me, Brody." She says, smiling as she looks at me with her cute brown eyes. "It's really been helping me not be late anymore."

I smile back at her, unable to help myself. Stupid body that belongs to Carmichael. "Of course. It's the least I can do for my girlfriend."

She rolls her eyes, but I can tell she's happy. "It won't be helping me anymore though if you make me late today." She points out.

I tilt my head. "Well, I suppose you have a point. Let's go."

I make a U-turn before heading in the direction of the school. Thank goodness I've driven there before from her house, although she doesn't know that. She doesn't ever need to know about that, as that was when I was really hoping to murder her. Of course, I ended up finding her in the sewers do to some events that may or may not have caused by me and was still hoping to murder her, but still. She doesn't need to know more than that, but I am secretly relieved that occurred. Otherwise I'd be in for a world of hurt.

"So how was your game yesterday?" She asks, and I panic for a moment inwardly, scrambling to think of a good answer that could be right either way.

Thankfully, I manage to find one. "Good for me."

She laughs, and it has the same impact it's had on me every other time I've heard it. It literally feels as if she's pushing some of the darkness inside of me away with that laugh. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Well, you're certainly seeming more confident than usual." She comments, which takes me by surprise. Has Brody been nervous around her recently? That actually takes me by surprise.

"Sorry." It seems like that's something Brody would say to that, and I'm starting to get an even better plan for what to do today, one that will kill two birds with one stone. "I haven't been trying to be a problem."

"You're not being a problem!" She says quickly, but I can tell that's not the total truth. While I hide it, that makes me even happier. Yes, this is perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Oh, that's a relief." I say, making sure to keep my gaze on the road. If I could use magic, I would, but that would tip Mina off that something was up. Not to mention I don't even know if I can do magic, and testing it right now might not be a good idea. It could not work, it could work, or it could be even worse and it could backfire. No, it's definitely not going to be a good idea to test being able to use magic. "We're almost there."

Mina chuckles. "Well, duh, Brody."

The rest of the ride is mainly us joking with each other back and forth, but there's obviously something on Mina's mind. Not that it matters to me while I'm in this body. I know what I'm doing, so long as this goes correctly and I can get back to my own body. I park in the parking lot, opening the car door to hop out and then shutting mine. I don't bother to get hers, and when she gets out I can see the look on her face reads 'what happened to being a gentleman?' though I pretend not to. Shaking her head, she hurries to catch up with me. I don't let myself slow down for her. Let's just see how upset we can make her with me.

The rest of the day can honestly be summed up by saying that I was trying to be the biggest jerk to literally everyone, although I toned it down a little when I was doing stuff to Mina. With her, it was more me _not_ being a gentleman and being extremely overprotective when any guy was within a five foot radius. There was a look on her face pretty much all day that showed how frustrated she was, and it was extremely satisfying to see. With Ever, I was just flat out rude, and when Mina wasn't around I may have cursed up a storm ranting about her. I don't actually curse, but if it was going to help me with ruining Brody's reputation, then I was going to do it. I may or may not have shoved her as well. I completely blew off 'Nick,' as Brody knows him, ignoring him unless I absolutely had to speak to him or he was getting on my nerves, and when I did I was exceedingly rude. Nan I was just a complete jerk to, and I may have called her annoying along with some other insults. I didn't swear though. I saved that for Ever. I wasn't just a pain to them, of course, but I was especially to them. Honestly, I think Mina was completely fed up with it by the end of the day. That was good.

"Look, Brody, can I talk to you?" Mina asks, rushing up to me as I begin to unlock my car. I didn't wait for her like Brody normally did, and she's obviously upset. "Please?"

"I'm driving you home, aren't I?" I ask, not at all kind. "There will be plenty of time to talk to me while I do that."

"Uh, ya, I guess, if you'll pay attention." Yup. She's definitely upset.

I roll my eyes in response. "Well? Get in."

Nervously, she gets in, as if already regretting this. However, as I start the car, I turn towards her, and though she's not expecting it I kiss her. It's not like when I've kissed her before. That's probably partly because this is a different mouth and partly because she isn't kissing me back. After a moment she pulls away, looking even more upset by that move. So perhaps my plan messed up the whole 'you can kiss Mina' thing, but that's okay. It will still - hopefully - get me what I'm seeking.

"So what did you want to ask me?" I say, acting as if everything is completely fine and dandy

Which, of course, upsets her even more. I'm getting quite good at doing that. This definitely lets me know what works and what doesn't work with Mina, and I'm sure I can use some of my knowledge when I set up more quests.

She crosses her arms. "Brody, for a little bit now I've been debating breaking up. You know, we're just not the best fit for each other. I could've thought for plenty of better matches, like Ever or Nan for example. But after today, my mind is set. I know _no_ perfect matches for you, but you were a complete jerk today and I think it's better if we stop dating." She hesitates. "I just don't understand what's wrong with you! You've never been like this before. Never ever. Not even a smidge!"

"What can I say? I'm a good actor." I've got to be careful here, because I'm not going to tell any lies.

"You were _faking_ it?" She says, looking shocked.

"Faking being nice, yes." I shrug. "I could tell this morning though that you were considering breaking up with me though, so I figured I'd make it easier on you and me by showing what I'm actually like. Ya, we're breaking up, but _I_ get to break up with _you_. Not the other way around."

She stares at me. "What is wrong with you?"

"Like I said, I'm a good actor." I shrug my shoulders. "Sorry that I was good enough to fool you."

"If you're going to break up with me, you could at least be truthful with me. We all know that wasn't you today at school. But if you're going to lie, then I'm even more glad that our relationship is over." She scowls at me, but I feign boredom. In all honesty, I'm super surprised at how she's handling this. I certainly wasn't expecting this reaction. Her anger is amazing and incredibly strong. I can feel it radiating off of her. "Stop the car."

"What?" I raise an eyebrow, keeping my eyes on the road.

"Stop the stupid car." She almost snarls the words. "Let me out. I don't want a ride from someone who's going to do that to my friends for who knows why."

I do as she demands, stopping the car and unlocking the door. She jumps out, glaring at me before slamming the door. Then, she heads off, not looking back once. I'm stunned. I was never expecting that. It was amazing. It worked perfectly. I made Mina and Brody break up, and when Brody gets his body back, there's no way she'll take him back. But even as I'm thinking all this, my eyelids begin to grow heavy. As they do and I try to force them open, I begin to realize what's happening. I guess Brody figured out how to switch us back. Good thing I finished my plot before he figured out the way to reverse this. He did a good job, although if it'd been the other way around I bet I'd figure it out quicker. I wonder what caused all this? Not that it matters. It helped me. _That_ is what matters.

My eyelids finally close, and then I feel myself getting sucked through the darkness.

* * *

 **What did you guys think of this one-shot? Was it good? Bad? Cool? It probably wasn't one of my better fanfictions, but I thought it was an interesting idea. I'd love to see someone else do something like this, whether it was swapping other characters or swapping the same ones. It was a very fun idea, and I'm sure someone would do a great job writing a full story on it! Personally, I'm happy with how this went, even if it wasn't necessarily the best. What did you think of Teague's reaction? What did you think of his whole plan? What did you think of the whole "break up" Teague instigated? Was it even realistic? Did you expect Mina to say she'd been considering breaking up with Teague for awhile? Were you expecting it to end with the bodies being switched? How do you think things went after? If you want to answer any of those questions - or tell me any reactions - let me know in a review! Those always brighten up my day so much. You guys are just so amazing!  
**

 **Anyways, as always, if you have any ideas for one-shots (plots, ships, characters you want me to use even if they are some of my ocs as they're always fun, etc) let me know in a review as well. c: Until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	13. Sooooo Dagger Is A Liar, Oops

**Number Thirteen - Sooooo Dagger Is A Liar, Oops**

 **So the title of this one-shot might already give you an idea of what I'm about to say, but as it turns out, I'm a liar. The one-shot I intended to write next I've decided I _won't_ be writing next, because where's the fun in that? I have to keep you guys on your toes, after all. :p Actually, I'm going to be writing based on a writing prompt the lovely Evx PMed me. ^-^ Hopefully you guys like it! I'm totally just taking it and running with the idea, as I am not exactly sure where I'm going. Just imagine I know where I started, but was blindfolded and told to drive and that I had to go to a certain place but I wasn't informed of a location and I'm kind of editing my mind's image of where I started. Make sense? No, I bet it doesn't, but that's the best comparison I can make. cx Hopefully it's good!**

 **Mikkey234 : Ooh, that sounds like a fun thing to come up with a one-shot with! I'll see if I can pull that off at some point. c;**

 **Anyways, here we go. Let's see what Dagger can do with this idea and see how she can mess it u- I mean, how she can write it. Obviously. That's exactly what I meant. c;**

 **By the way, this is a completely AU story!**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I stare around the dusty, old attic, once again annoyed with my mother. She's seriously going to send me up here to clean because the Fates and their stupid kid are coming up here. Personally, I feel that if they're coming into our _attic_ , then we've already lost. None the less, she's sent me up here to clean. There's always the possibility she sent me up here just to get me out of the way. That's a nice thought. Glad to know my mom loves me.

Huffing, I turn my attention to one of the cardboard boxes sitting on the ground and consider something. My mom normally _never_ let's me go up here, and I have no idea why. Maybe I can find out now that I have the chance? Okay, that's probably not the wisest decision I've made in my life, but what can I say? When I'm mad, I'm not rational, and currently, I am quite mad. I mean seriously, she's having the Fates and their child over at our house, and wants me to clean our _attic_ in order to prepare for their visit. They hate our family. There's no way that this visit will go well.

That brings up another plausible reason for why she sent me up here. I would be the most likely out of everyone in our family - which is just my mom, Charlie, and me - to 'not show the royalty proper respect' or some junk like that. Ha. They don't even deserve respect. Which just confirms my reasoning as to why she might have sent me up here.

Angrily, I kick the box in front of me in order to vent out some of the anger I deal with over my lot in life. The action causes the box to tip over, which was completely unintentional on my part. The top obviously wasn't sealed properly, because it opens and out rolls a small, glass ball. It reminds me of a remembrall from Harry Potter, although there's not any anything inside it and I doubt it's supposed to help remind me of stuff. I stare, surprised. What on earth is this? A crystal ball? No one in my family believes that sort of junk, so I doubt that's right.

I kneel down in the dust, praying nothing will attack me as I start to brush off the box. I stop once I find a label on it that I can quietly read to myself. "Guardians for the child. You'll know when the time is right."

I raise an eyebrow at that. Guardians for the child? Sounds cryptic and weird. What is that even supposed to mean? I check for a sender or some detail as to where this came from, but nothing is listed on the label and there's nothing else on the box. I continue to kneel there, considering the fact that who the child is isn't specified. Probably for a reason too. It could be my brother, or it could be for someone who lived here a long time ago. They might even be dead. Yet, somehow, I just _know_ it's meant for me. I just can't imagine how a stupid ball is going to be a 'guardian' for me. Besides, there's only one. I almost just leave it on the ground, but then I consider the fact that I'm supposed to be cleaning. So, I carefully pick the ball up. It's as dusty as everything else up here, and I rub it to try and clean it off.

There's a label on it, written in the same font as the label on the box was, and I trace a finger across it and read what's written there. "Weather."

As I read the words, something happens. Gray clouds seem to form inside the ball from nothingness, and I see lightning strike inside followed by the quiet echo of thunder. I can hear the patter of rain from inside of it too, and can just barely see it. Shocked, I drop the ball, and it shatters upon impact. I watch as the clouds, lightning, and rain slowly disappear, and there's one last echo of thunder before it's just shards left. I stare in shock and horror. Oh gosh, my mom is going to kill me. I reach forward to try and brush the stuff away, to hide it, but something stops me.

What might that be, you ask? That would be a hand that grabs my shoulder, and a voice that says, "I wouldn't touch that with your bare hands if I were you. It's worse than normal glass." I jump, nearly falling backwards onto my back, before turning around and looking at the voice. A green eyed boy who looks to be my age stands there, brushing dirty blonde hair from his eyes. In fact, for a moment, all I can do is stare. What breaks me out of this trance is when he says with quite the cocky grin, "Don't worry, I normally have this effect on women."

"Who _are_ you?" I finally manage to spit out.

"Nice to meet you too." He rolls his eyes as he says it. "The name is Storm. I'm one of your five guardians, at your service." He gives a small bow. "You probably gathered this from my name and the image, but I'm a storm enigma. Everyone else will tell you they're the best, but let me tell you now. I am the best."

I stare at him, trying to figure out what sort of prank is getting pulled on me. The possibility that I'm hallucinating or that I've gone crazy lurks in my head as well. "Um, what?"

"You don't need to play dumb, Mina." My eyes widen as he casually says my name when I didn't tell it to him, as if he's been saying it for a long time and we're great friends. "We've been prepped for a while on this mission before getting sent to float in limbo until summoned. How old are you?"

"How do you know my name?" I ask nervously.

"I told you, stop playing dumb and answer my question." He says, starting to sound less amused. That is not good. Not good at all.

I frown. "You never told me to answer your question before."

"Didn't I?" He frowns in return, and I can't tell if it's genuine or to mimic me. "Well, now I did. So please do."

I decide that I might as well just comply. If he's a murderous, psychotic Fae, then there's not much I can do to stop him now, is there? I might just be speeding it up by not answering. "Um, I just turned sixteen."

He looks taken aback. "Sixteen? They never would let us work with someone who's sixteen years old. It's too likely that we'll end up being attracted. We were prepped to work with someone in the eighteen range, so that there wouldn't be that issue." He frowns harder. "When are the Fates coming?"

"How do you know they're coming?" I ask, although I'm not sure why anything is surprising at this point.

He actually looks panicked. "No, you don't understand. I need to know when they're coming."

I hesitate, before mumbling, "Later today."

He looks like he's going to have a heart attack, and exclaims very loudly, "Later today?"

"Shut up!" I hiss. "You'll make my mom come up here and I'll get in a lot of trouble!"

"Oh gosh, this is bad. This is so bad. They aren't supposed to come this soon!" Storm looks even more upset. "Look, you gotta wake up the other four of us."

I stare at him, eyes wide. "There's...more of you?" I don't want that. So far, I'm not liking this guy. He has me flat out terrified. I don't understand what's going on!

He crosses his arms. "There are four more glass balls in the container. Do exactly what you did with mine to get them out. We're going to need their help."

Not exactly understanding what he wants at this point, carefully I open the box, and sure enough, there are four other glass balls inside. "So there are more of you inside these balls?"

"Look, stop asking questions and just do what I told you to do!" The storm enigma hisses. "Your _life_ is at stake."

That's a good enough push for me. I reach inside, pulling out one at random. He told me to do exactly what I did with his, so I rub the dirt off till I find a label. Then, I whisper what's written on the label and trace my finger under it. "Music." After I whisper it, the sound of pipes begins to play, and music notes begin to swirl around the ball. It's kind of hypnotic, but I shake it off. Glancing at Storm, he gestures for me to shatter it, and so I do. The moment it hits it breaks apart, and the music notes and the sound disappear just like they did with Storm's.

"There's no need to wait for Peter to arrive. Just get the rest of them out." Storm instructs, and I reach for the next ball.

"Oh yes, don't _bother_ waiting for me." Another voice joins the fray, and I glance back to see the speaker. He has messy, brown hair and piercing, green eyes. Both are darker than Storm's allowing me to tell them apart. In his hand he has a pan pipe. "It's not like I'm important or anything. No, just discard me _again_."

"Again?" Storm says in confusion.

The guy seems to scramble to fix what he said. "Nevermind. I wasn't thinking straight. Is this her? Mina? She looks younger than expected."

"She is." Storm answers, before glancing at me. "What are you waiting for? Don't pay attention to Peter here. Just get the other three out!"

"Right!" I squeak out, terrified.

As I reach in, I hear the new guy - Peter - say, "Hm, and here I was thinking I would be the one to terrify her. No fair."

Muttering under my breathe about how I hate these guys that I don't even know, I hurry through the next three glass balls and try to ignore Storm and Peter behind me. The first ball has a rose and a moon inside it, with the word 'Change' on it. The sound it makes is the eerie howl of a wolf. I toss it over my shoulder towards the two guys for when it breaks and turn my attention to the next one. This one has 'Water' written on it, and the sound of running water comes when the ball literally fills up with water. I toss it backwards as well. Then, I reach in for the last one. On this one the word is 'Darkness,' and I watch as the ball slowly goes black. There's no sound that goes with it, and I drop it before stepping back.

"They're taking a long time to show up." Storm comments, and I turn around to see it's still just him and Peter standing there.

"Probably just trying to be dramatic." Peter responds. "Since they can't be first or second, they want to come in with a bang."

"Fair enough." Storm says, nodding his head, and then I see the form of an awful looking _beast_ in the corner.

Before I can scream, it slowly changes, and a boy stands there instead. He has - wait for it - dark brown hair and dark green eyes. Seriously, do they _all_ look like this? He grins at me. "Afraid of a wolf?"

"We're supposed to keep her _alive_ , Edward, not give her a heart attack." Storm comments, and the boy just shrugs.

Peter watches Edward carefully, and I hear him mutter, "She _should_ be afraid of wolves after everything that's happened to her all these different times."

I almost ask him about the comment, but my attention is taken away when two other guys appear. The first one is blonde - a slight change - but his eye color is, you guessed it, green. He looks extremely attractive, and actually looks like he just got out of the pool, although he's wearing normal clothes that are dry. The second one is dressed in all black, with black hair and blue eyes. After all the green eyes, it manages to surprise me. He's attractive too.

"Let me guess." Black-haired says. "The Fates are coming in a year or two and we finally get to get out."

Storm bites his lip. "Um, actually, they're coming today, Teague."

Blonde's eyes widen. "Excuse me?"

Peter sighs. "I had the same reaction, Louis, but Mina here told him that. That's why she's only sixteen and why she had no idea we were even here."

"Great. So you're telling me-" Teague begins, but he's stopped short by a voice downstairs.

"Please, come in!" It's my mom's voice, and a sinking feeling hits my stomach. They're here.

Peter mutters under his breathe, "She's always gotta have something up with her, doesn't she? She always has to be cursed or in trouble or someone I want to take out. Why can't she just be normal? Or, better yet, be the villain. I could see her as a hot villain. She's very attractive. Probably could've succeeded in making her a villain as well, but then I got sucked out of that stupid dimension."

"Peter, stop muttering. We gotta go!" Storm says, gesturing for the boy to hurry over to the window. There's a window in the attic? Since when?

"I think she's gone into shock." Someone - is it Louis? - says, sounding distant.

"If you're fine with her getting hurt, I can wake her right on up." That sounds like Edward. I don't think I like what he's saying. I try to look at them all, but my vision just sort of swims.

"No, you idiot, we can't hurt her. Besides, she's not going into shock. The Fates are probing for her, and probably are trying to start the murder process. They can't have any of their kids alive, you know. Then they'll die." I feel someone grab me, and I see a blurry person with black hair lean forward. I think they'll scoop him up. "Just keep the portal open, guys. We'll get her through and quickly follow. She needs to be away from the Fates."

"I think we're losing her!" Everything is going black, but I can still hear. Was that Storm? Or maybe it was Louis. I don't know, I just met them. Didn't I? Maybe I didn't. I don't really know, but I do know that thinking really hurts. Ow. "Get her through already, Teague!"

Something happens, I don't know what, but the atmosphere seems to change around me. Then? I feel myself go out like a light.

* * *

 **What did you guys think of this one? I'm sure, once again, that it probably seemed like a story one. Once again, maybe it'll have a follow up one here later. I know I diverged a bit off of what you were saying for the prompt, Evx, but I hope you liked it! It wasn't one of my best, but it was hard to do in a one-shot. You guys can decide whether or not you think Mina died or not. I hope you guys liked the appearances of some of the ocs! For those of you wondering - in case you were - all the ocs were from my other stories and had a reference to them. Peter might've been seen as the oddest, but that's actually cannon for him. What that means to you is up to you. Peter is the Pied Piper in Truth or Dare and Who Dun It. Louis is from Spotlight. Edward - _Prince_ Edward, actually - is from Dancing. And Storm is from I Won't Say I'm In Love (whose sequel is coming soon, I promise!). Hopefully you liked their appearances, and if you want to see more of them (or if you want to see one of my ocs that hasn't made an appearance here) please let me know in a review! I'll definitely take it into consideration, as I have quite a few.**

 **Anyways, please leave a review if you liked it! I know this one was kind of odd and confusing, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with it. Hopefully it was still good!**

 **~ Dagger**


	14. You Are My Sunshine

**Number Fourteen - You Are My Sunshine**

 **Woo, everybody celebrate! It's me, Dagger, back with another one-shot that's guaranteed to either have you making ugly crying sounds (inwardly or outwardly), trying to rip my heart out and crush it (go Once Upon A Time style or not at all, people), or grinning (like a lunatic, of course). I'm going to be hanging out here temporarily, and by here I mean I'll be camping out at One-Shot At It and writing a few one-shots as I gather my ideas for my stories (plus I'm waiting on reviews for Trouble and Spotlight, to tell me what pov to do/path to follow). Hopefully you guys won't mind! I have some fun ideas. :3**

 **MusicalDivergentTribute : I'm glad chapter 11 was super cute! I was hoping it would be, as it was quite fun to write. Teague puppy is just adorable. I would definitely like to do one - or several - follow up parts sprinkled throughout here detailing the adventures of Doggy Teague and Mina, and probably the breaking of the curse as well. c: But who knows? We'll have to wait to see.**

 **MusicalDivergentTribute again : I'll definitely consider at least doing another part to Chapter Thirteen that would give it a bit more of an explanation. It was a pretty crazy, confusing one-shot.**

 **Life as a Siren : I'm glad you really liked it! As I just told MusicalDivergentTribute, I'll definitely consider at least giving it another part, if not more. c: I agree that it would be nice to see continue. I'd like to know what would happen next as much as you would. Unless, of course, Mina died at the end of that. :D I mean, did I ever say that she lived? The guys were saying they were losing her. So now, the question is, would you want to see it continued if you were to find out they messed up seriously and let her get killed? c: Hehehe.**

 **ChocolateismyHOMIE : As I told MusicalDivergentTribute, I would definitely be up for doing a few follow up parts sprinkled throughout the other one-shots expounding upon what happened next, especially one where the curse is broken. Since so many people are wanting that, I'll definitely consider doing at least one! ^-^ To everyone who is asked for an expansion on that one-shot, I'll keep it in mind. If you haven't and would like it, please let me know. It'll definitely up the chances of there being multiple, as I'm almost positive I'll do one.**

 **Now, let's see what I have up my sleeve this time, shall we?  
**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I jerk the dagger backwards, and the realization of what I've just managed to do begins to hit me, causing me to allow myself to relax ever so slightly. I watch Teague's eyes widen, and his Cheshire grin slip off his face as he's forced to watch the blood spill out of the wound I've made in his stomach. I force myself to calm my breathing, to try and not betray just how nervous I was about this attack.

Then, he laughs, the grin back. "Oh Mina, did you really believe that simply stabbing me would kill me? You're doomed to repeat history."

I have no idea what he means by that, so I write it off as him trying to get under my skin as I respond with, "Please, heal your wounds, Story," and gesture at his stomach.

He waves his hand over it, but nothing happens. His hand doesn't even glow. For once, he actually seems to look panicked. I have to say, it's extremely satisfying after everything he's done to me. "What did you do?" He waves his hand over his wound again, and when once again it doesn't work, he tries to get a better look at the dagger.

"This dagger was given to me by the Godmothers specifically for the task of killing you, Teague." At the mention of this, his eyes widen, and I trace my hand over the words on the hilt, which tug at my memory once again but cause me to draw to a blank. "Erjad. Isn't it such an honor, having a weapon designed specifically with the intent of killing you?" I ask it as I wave the dagger tauntingly at him.

He grabs at his stomach, searching for some way to heal the wound but not seeming to process that he should seek help, and glares at me. "You have the cure, don't you? Surely the Godmothers gave you it in case something were to happen, like you scratched yourself or something."

I stiffen a little, scowling at the idea that I'd do something foolish with it. "I might."

"Then _use_ it." He hisses, grimacing in pain. "Use it or your oh so precious Jared dies."

I raise an eyebrow, honestly surprised by the threat. Does he honestly expect me to believe it? "He's your brother. Are you really threatening to kill him?" Not that I'm really surprised by _that_ aspect of it. They don't really get along. "Besides, how would you even do so. He's on the human plane. _My_ plane. Not the Fae one. Not yours."

"Oh, is he?" Teague chuckles, and that makes me nervous.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nothing good, I would bet, but I don't want to admit that I'm putting any weight on his words at the moment. So, instead, I try to pretend that I'm not concerned by what he's saying at all.

"Nobody told you, did they?" He shakes his head, pretend to look sympathetic for me. I have no doubt in my mind that he isn't actually. "Not your precious Godmothers, and certainly not Jared. You see, Mina darling," I scowl at him. He's dying, yet he still manages to agitate me, "he is not my little brother, even though everyone claims that that is the case. Actually, I was split in half a long time ago, and he is my other half. Now that you've decided to kill me, you're killing him as well, and he is being brought by the magic used to do the deed to where I am. And that happens to be here."

"You're a liar!" I cry, pulling my fist back and punching him in the face, as if that'll help make his words be a lie. I swear my hand breaks from the fact that I did it wrong, because it really hurts. I can only hope it caused Teague even more pain as he dies. "You're nothing but a liar!"

"Am I?" He asks calmly.

Before I can continue the argument, someone else speaks. "I'm afraid he's not lying, Mina."

I turn around the moment the words reach my ears, because I _know_ that voice, and that voice shouldn't be here. It can't. I wish I could look away, but now that I'm looking, I can't. I doubt I could have avoided looking after hearing the voice. An exact replica of Teague stands there. Well, not exact. Very close though. The only difference is the familiar gray eyes that the replica has, but besides that, they're the same. All the way down to the wound being the same.

"No, no, Jared, no." I race over to him, and Teague begins to laugh at my panic, although he stops pretty soon after the laughter shifts to a pained groan.

As I reach him, he takes my hurting hand, holding it against his cheek with his own hand. "It's okay." He whispers, looking me in the eyes and trying to smile, although it looks forced and pained, not even reaching his eyes.

"No, the Godmothers, they knew. They knew, didn't they?" I accuse, and when he simply nods and doesn't even try to defend it, I nearly cry as I say, "They're traitors. Why didn't they tell me? Why didn't _you_ tell me? I wouldn't have done it if I knew what it would do to you!"

"Exactly." Jared says simply, looking even more pained. "That statement makes me even more sure that I made the right choice."

I can't even express how angry I am with him, but it refuses to come out because all I can recognize is the fact that he's dying because of me and he won't let me heal him. "You want to die?"

"No." He shakes his head.

"Then let me heal you!" My voice breaks as I move with my free hand to reach inside my bag.

"No." He says this one more firmly. "No, I don't want to die, but I want you to be free of your curse. In order for that to happen, Teague and I have to die."

"But I have the cure." I protest, trying to fight back the tears. "I can heal you, and you'll be okay."

He shakes his head once again. "Healing me means healing Teague. I can't let that happen."

At this point, the floodgates open as he loses his balance, and I use the hand he isn't holding - the one that was just reaching into my bag - to grab him and keep him up. "Please don't die. I need you."

This time he smiles, and while it still looks like he's in pain, it's not a forced one. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that."

I hold him a bit tighter, as if that'll keep him hear and keep him from dying. "Then stay, and you can hear it so many times. I love you. Stay with me." I'm begging him. I need him. There's no way I can handle things if he dies.

He shakes his head. "No, now that I've heard that come from your lips, I'm okay to die, Mina."

"That wasn't what those words were supposed to do. They were supposed to convince you to let me heal you." My voice has dropped to a whisper, and I don't even realize that I've been blocking Teague out this entire time.

Then, before I realize what's happening, Jared releases my hand, and then he's kissing me. We're both hugging each other as it happens, and my heart cracks even more. How am I supposed to deal with losing him, especially after this? How did I ever want Brody, when Jared was around? Why did I wait so long to do this? Now it's too late.

Jared pulls away, looking into my eyes once more and saying, "I love you."

"I love you too." I say back. "Stay."

He doesn't say anything in response to that. Instead, he begins to sing, and I think that might be even worse. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know, dear, how much I love you..."

"Please don't take my sunshine away." I finish, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

"Let me go." Jared whispers.

I shake my head, voice breaking along with my heart. "I _can't._ "

He shakes his head back and smiles. "Yes, you can. You have to."

I blink, trying to stop my tears so I can see him clearly, but it's impossible. "What will I do without you?"

"The same thing you did before, minus the stuff impacted by being cursed." He still manages to smile, but I can tell that he's in more pain than before. "I never was a real person anyways, Mina. I'm just one of Teague's half. Let me go."

Sobbing, I do as instructed, and slowly he begins to disappear. I sob, curling up on the floor, and listen to Teague's laugh one last time before he dies along with Jared. For a while, I don't move. I can't make myself. Then, finally, I manage to make myself return to the human plane. I appear on the lawn outside of my house. It's the middle of the night - different than on the Fae plane, I think, although I'm not sure how long I laid there for - and I can't make myself move. So, instead, I fall asleep there, and dream that I'm in Jared's arms again, holding on tight and not letting go.

When I wake up, it's early morning, much earlier than when my mother and Charlie would be up. They must've already been asleep when I returned last night. Last night? At the thought, I realize my dream was just that. A dream. Jared is dead. The song he'd been singing echoes in my head, and I remember one of the verses.

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping. I dreamt I held you in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. So I hung my head, and I cried." I sing at a whispers, beginning to cry all over again. I cry - oh gosh, I _weep_ \- for the boy who didn't exist at all.

* * *

 **So apparently I can't write Jarina unless it's incredibly sad. I should probably work on that, shouldn't I? Oops. I made myself sad. Actually, I kinda wanted to cry while writing it. Hopefully you guys don't hate me for that. I'll try and write a happy Jarina fanfiction at some point later. What did you guys think of it? Was it good? Bad? Sad? Were you expecting a happy one-shot when you saw the title? Did you like how I included Erjad, and the song? Did you like the fact that I had Teague in it still, but that he wasn't a major character so I could focus on the Jarina? How did you feel about the end? I personally feel this is a horrible way to end the curse. :c I'm super glad Chanda Hahn didn't do this to all of us readers. Since she didn't, _someone_ had to do. and that someone happened to end up being me. You're welcome.  
**

 **Fun fact time! I was actually intending for a different, _happier_ one-shot to be number fourteen. However, I started writing this one, and managed to finish it before finishing the other. So, in my documents, this one is actually labeled "One-Shot At It (15)" where as the one that will _actually_ be fifteen is labeled "One-Shot At It (14)." Confusing, isn't it?**

 **Anyways, please don't hate me for this. I promise I'll actually try and write nice Jarina later, or at least some form of Jarina where Jared isn't dead/dying. I also promise the next one-shot will not be as sad (I hope for my own heart as well as yours that that stays the case). And then the one _after_ that (so number sixteen) should be on the funnier side. So keep your hopes up for that, and don't call out for my blood.**

 **And so we go. (if you get that reference I will love you)**

 **~ Dagger**


	15. Time For A Jumpscare

**Number Fifteen - Time For A Jumpscare  
**

 **Hey guys! Dagger has reappeared (technically a chapter was just done by me on Playing Against Fates, but that's beyond the point :p). I have actually been working on updates, but I just haven't felt super inspired for them. I promise I will try and update them soon!**

 **Anyways, to make up for my disappearance, I'm going to try and throw you guys a few one-shots. I've been having a rough time recently, and I'm too emotionally drained to do actual story chapters (I have no inspiration and it makes me want to cry because I really want to write the stories I have posted), however I really want to write. I especially want to get my mind off of what's going on at my school, because someone died. I didn't know them, but it's still super upsetting, so I'm hoping writing will distract me from all that. :c  
**

 **Mikkey234 : I'm glad. That's what I was aiming for. cx I'm glad it was amazing, and that you have sympathy for Mina.**

 **Guest 1 : I'm glad that it was so sad, although I feel bad that I made you cry. :c And I do it becaus** **e I can? :D That's probably a bad reason. Actually, I did it because I really wanted to use the song and do something sad, and I really wanted to do some Jarina. However - as I'm sure we've all realized - I'm not really good at a one-shot centered around Jarina unless it involves Jared dying or being dead. Oops. And hm, perhaps I'll do that at some point. *cough* yes kill Brody although I admit poor Mrody is just hated by pretty much everyone and that makes me feel slightly bad but I hate it too *cough* Trust me, I don't know if I can handle any more Jeague or Mina deaths either. This one should hopefully be a bit better. Maybe? I hope? I'll try and put a story out there with a death of either Savannah or Annalora or someone else who deserves it soon, just for you. c;**

 **Guest 2 : The funny thing is that I have nothing against Jared. Actually, I loved him _so_ much and was a hard core Jarina shipper up until Reign. It was a little bit before that that I started considering Meague, and once I read Reign, I liked Meague better. However, I still really like _book_ Jared. I don't like the Jareds from the Blank Space trilogy I wrote, for example. And I have nothing against you! Promise. c; I'm glad my writing is beautifully written, and I'm sorry I crushed your soul. It's what I do. :c**

 **Life as a Siren : It's okay. *holds up jar* Here, you can gather your tears in here and then drown me in them when you get enough. :p And true, true, I probably can't let Mina die that quickly. cx**

 **There is another one-shot that was the original number fourteen, but that one won't be coming up _just_ yet. Forgive me for what I did instead? I think at this point you guys might have forgotten, but still you deserve an apology because I did a mean one instead. XD Buuuuut this one should maybe make up for it? Maybe? Maybe? I don't know what direction this will go in yet, so let's find out, shall we?**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I hate Nan, Ever, and their stupid dares.

They've all been bad enough already. Wearing different outfits of their choice to school, letting them put makeup on me, doing my hair, and the like have all been tolerable. But now they told me they were going to step it up, and their first new dare is terrifying. I suppose I could say no, but their my friends. They wouldn't do anything horrendous to me on purpose. Right?

Sitting in the dark room that I'm in, I can't help but think otherwise.

Okay, okay, so there is a _little_ bit of light which happens to be the computer screen. But even that isn't the best, because the game itself is a horror game. I have a small light with me, but it doesn't give me enough light that it's able to comfort me. So, I am still left terrified. I sit in my desk chair, clutching its arms and staring at the screen. I don't want to push play. I don't want to start this game. It seems horrendous.

"Oh my gosh, Mina, start the game already!" I glance down at Ever's phone, which is currently on speaker so that she and Nan can hear me. I was going to use Nan's phone, but she wouldn't let me touch it.

"Don't tell me what to do, Nan Taylor." I grumble back. "You aren't the one playing the horror game."

Ever laughs, causing me to scowl. "By putting it off, you are making it worse for yourself. Just do it."

"Fine." I mutter, and then let out a short screech as I look back at the screen to see it flicker to another image.

"Wilhelmina Grimm, if the title screen scares you, you're never going to survive playing this game, let alone the sequels that you have to know we're going to make you play in later dares." Nan Taylor acts as if she's informing me that it's cloudy outside.

"There's more of them?" I moan, playing my head in my hands.

I can hear in Ever's voice that she's rolling her eyes at my misery as she says, "Gimp, start the game."

Finally, I work up my nerve, and start a new game. The moment the game starts, I move the mouse around to look around the office. I'm terrified. Absolutely terrified. This is going to be horrible.

"Hello, hello?" I jump in my chair as a voice speaks up.

"Hello?" I say back nervously, causing Ever and Nan to giggle. "Shut up, guys!"

The message keeps going, and I gape as the man talks about death. That is not okay. Why should I respect these stupid animatronic characters that are apparently going to kill me? I'd sooner punch them.

"So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night-" He keeps going, but my eyes widen in horror.

"Why would any place have creepy characters, let alone let them wander around at night? That is just asking for trouble!" I grab the chair. "I can't ever go to Chuck E. Cheese again." Which of course gets more snickers from Ever and Nan.

I bring my attention back to the guy, pushing buttons in the office to find out how things work. So far I've found how to make both doors close and how to use the door lights. But aren't there security cameras? How do I access those?

"-there was the Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?" I grab the arm of the chair as he says it.

"Wait, what?" I practically yelling at the screen. "How is that okay? Why is this place even still open?" I take a deep breath, but that doesn't calm me down. "I don't care how much they're paying me, taking this job offer was downright stupid."

"-that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person." He just keeps talking.

I sigh. "Why am I not surprised?"

"They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit." That seems like he is putting it mildly.

"No part of this is okay." I mutter, glaring at the screen.

Why doesn't he shut up? This doesn't help me! "So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death."

I shake my head. "I'd rather _not_ imagine that, thank you very much. And Ever and Nan, shut up. I can hear you laughing at my misery. 'Haha, Mina is so funny to listen to as she panics because her friends are making her play a horror game.' Well let me tell you know, this isn't funny. I'm never doing another dare for you again. Ever."

"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up." The guy says, and I lean back a little in the chair.

"Of course not. They can't tell you about the risks. Then no one would sign up." I'm trying to make fun of this so that I can stop being so freaked out, but it isn't working.

"But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow-" That stops me.

"Tomorrow?" I exclaim.

"It's called _Five_ Nights at Freddy's, Mina, not One." Ever snickers. How I wish I could punch her.

He keeps going. "-to close doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."

Then, the talking stops, and I'm left in silence. I finally figure out how to work the cameras, and start looking around till I find something. A curtain.

"Uh, guys?" I say hesitantly. "There's a curtain that has an 'Out of Order' sign in front of it. Should I be concerned about that?"

Nan giggles. "Guess you'll just have to find out."

"Oh don't tell me that." I moan, wanting to curl up in a ball and cry before flipping to another camera.

Then I see them. Three animatronics. A purple bunny, a brown bear, and a yellow chicken with a...bib? I put the monitor down, shutting my eyes for a moment before looking back at the screen. 2 am. It's only 2 am in the game. Oh gosh, what am I going to do?

That's when I have a stroke of genius. "You know what? I just won't do anything. Then I don't get caught up in being scared and I won't be afraid."

At first, my idea seems like a stroke of genius. I hear noises, but I force myself to just breathe and not listen. I'll be fine. I'm a genius. This was my best idea ever. I grab the arm of my chair, taking deep breathes and ignoring the noises I hear in the background. I've gotten around Ever's and Nan's plan to freak me out. Why didn't I think of this earlier? As I watch the time shift to 4 am, I have to wonder why this game is considered so hard. This seems a little too si-

That's when my idea goes wrong, because a fox that I didn't see anywhere before leans through my door and screeches. I screech in response, jumping and causing the chair to fall backwards with me in it. My hand had been grabbing at Ever's phone, so it falls off the table with me, and I can hear Nan's and Ever's screams of laughter. Groaning in pain, I reach for the phone and accidentally end the call. Groaning even louder at that, I stand up, avoiding looking at the screen and grumbling about all the things I'm going to do to my two supposed friends when I see them again.

However, I'm cut short as someone taps me on the shoulder, causing me to scream and tumble into the desk with the computer on it. The corner jams into my side, and I fall to the ground, groaning in pain. I'm sure a wide part of it is shock too, but I can't really process anything right now. My nerves are starting to go to hyper alert. Who is in this room? Thinking about the game I just played, I almost burst into tears. I hate Ever and Nan. Hate them. Now I'm hurt, scared, and about to die. If I somehow survive, I will personally torture and then slaughter them both.

"Oh, that was just priceless." A far too familiar voice greets my ears, and I stare upwards, trying to make them out in the dark. "I'd been watching you play, but I wasn't expecting such an excellent reaction from you."

"I hate you, Teague." I mutter, trying to glare at the direction his voice is coming from.

I jump _again_ when he speaks by my ear to say, "Actually, I'm right here."

"Get away!" I try to smack him, but he grabs my wrist. "And stop watching me through my mirror, you creep. That's called being a stalker, and it's socially unacceptable. Not to mention it makes me incredibly uncomfortable."

"And that matters because...?" I hate him so much.

"Let go!" I try to turn on Ever's phone in my hand, only to realize I dropped it when I hit my side off the desk. "You murdered my side. Now I'm going to die and it's all your fault."

He chuckles. "Quite a dramatic claim. I don't think you're dying, Mina."

I shake my head stubbornly, trying to jerk away and instead just hurting my arm more, since it's already sore from when my chair fell backwards with me in it. "No, I'm dying, and it's all your fault. I'm not even dying because of your dumb curse that you put on the Grimm line because of a bad break up you misinterpreted. I'm dying from you randomly appearing."

"It wasn't a bad break up." Teague snaps. "We never dated."

I roll my eyes. "Yet you were fully intending to marry me."

"Till I found out you were working with Ferah to kill me." He counters.

I stare at where I'm pretty sure he is - it's too dark to tell for sure, but his voice is coming from this direction - in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you that I _wasn't working with that stupid elf_. I had nothing to do with it!"

He scoffs in response. "A likely story."

"Let me go!" I scowl at him, and his grip loosens as I yank away, allowing me to fall into the desk. Again. "Owww."

"Mina?" He speaks, but there's something different about it. I look up, eyes watering in pain, and feel him scoop me up. "Are you okay?"

"Put me down!" I don't trust it. It must be some ploy. Some trick. I don't know what it accomplishes, but Teague is trying to do something.

He groans in pain. "N-No, Mina, it's me. Jared." I stop squirming, frozen at the mention of his name. That's almost the last straw for me not crying, but thankfully I manage to keep the tears at bay. "He's rea-really fighting for control. I don't know how long I can fight him. But I had to make sure you were okay."

"What trick are you trying to pull?" I don't believe him for a minute. "What do you think this stunt is going to accomplish?"

"N-no, Mina, it's me." And then he leans down and kisses me.

The moment his lips touch mine, I know he's not lying. I've kissed both of them now, and while I'm not sure how, I know it's Jared kissing me. I wrap my arms around his neck, a few tears managing to leak out of my eyes before he pulls away.

"It really is you." I whisper.

I can hear a slight grin in his pained voice as he says, "I told you. You really should trust me." Then he groans again. "He's going to regain control soon. You should leave."

He sets me on the ground, and I grab my side in pain as I try to stare up at where he was. "But you're here again..."

"Not for long though." He says bitterly. "I'm a part of him, Mina. I am a part of Teague. I can't stay in control."

"No, I don't believe that." I shake my head.

"Mina, you have to accept that." Jared grunts. "By loving me, you also love him."

I shake my head again, now actually crying. "No, I won't believe it!" I stumble to the door, not even caring about Ever's phone. "Teague, whatever trick you are trying to pull over me, I'm not buying it."

* * *

 **Okay, I really had no idea where I was going with that one-shot, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. See? I wrote some Jarina where Jared didn't die, but I guess he's technically still gone in this one. Plus I guess this wasn't the happiest Jarina I could've ever written. I'll try to do a better one later. Hopefully you guys appreciated this! Sorry it wasn't my usual quality. Hopefully I'll update one of my actual stories soon and give you something substantial. I also have quite a few one-shot ideas, so I'll try and shoot some of those out here soon.  
**

 **Fun Fact: The horror game Mina plays - Five Night's At Freddy's - is not mine. None of the characters, dialogue, location, game play, or anything that I referenced from that game are mine. Credit to Scott for those! And yes, the jumpscare Foxy does is actually something that can happen on the first night if a player is extremely inactive (like Mina). Although I have a feeling it'd have been more realistic if Bonnie or Chica got her instead, but how can I resist using Foxy?  
**

 **Anyways, hopefully I'll get another one-shot up soon, and hopefully you appreciated this one!**

 **~ Dagger**


	16. You'll Be Back

**Chapter Sixteen - You'll Be Back**

 **Hey guys! It's me, back with another one-shot for you guys. I am working on updates for my other stories, although speaking about that, I have a question to ask at the end of this. But anyways, here's a one-shot I've been plotting for a while! Hopefully, you guys enjoy it. c:**

 **Fun fact: Woah, Dagger is putting it at the beginning? Yes, totally. This one-shot's base idea came from a suggestion made by Mikkey234. I have actually planned to use your idea before now, I just hadn't gotten around to it. So yes guys, if you give me one-shot suggestions, I do actually see what I could write with that prompt in mind! ^-^**

 **Mikkey234 : I'm glad it was outstanding! And aw, thank you. ^-^ It's really nice to know that you guys are going to stick around to see what happens next, even when I do take obnoxiously long. And I will! You stay amazing too. c; I hope you enjoy this one-shot, seeing as it's based on your prompt!**

 **CoffeeKake : Aw, I'm sorry. :c Hopefully you were fine after though! c: And ah yes, I'm sorry. Cliff hangers are kind of my thing though. So are sad endings. XD oops. I'm glad it was good though! I was super happy no one had used the idea yet.**

 **Meague 3 : Sorry - not completely sorry because I'm glad it was good but yes sorry - for scaring you! Is Panic! at the disco scary? I've never listened to it. cx I'm glad it was a good one-shot, that the detail was good, and that the jumps are was good! ^-^**

 **Beetle : Ah yes yes yes Five Nights at Freddy's theories. My favorite. Especially Game Theory ones. XD I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that you cried from laughter (although I mean making people cry out of sadness is always fun too cx). I'm glad you appreciated my honesty that the Foxy one is the least likely to have had occurred, but hey, if you're going to scare Mina, might as well go big or go home. XD Foxy is one of my favorites anyways. I'm glad this one made up for the last one I did (haha, I can never English, so at least you're doing better than me!). Here's an update for you, just like you asked. I'll definitely try and update Unfairest soon (I have an update in the works, just need to do some editing because I wrote Teague differently than I'd like to and the way it's written right now gives something away way too early in the plot. XD I'll try and update Trouble and Party soon as well. As for Spotlight, well, I'll talk about that in the end of this. I'm glad you enjoy them so much! ^-^ It means so much to hear that you guys enjoy my stories.**

 **Life as a Siren : Aw, thanks! I'm glad you appreciated me not killing Jared for once. I need to get more in a habit of that. Oops. XP And I'm glad you appreciate the jar for your tears. Hopefully you get a good use out of it (just kidding, I don't want you to cry except for my writing, because I like making people cry since I am evil :3 oops).**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the story, so I can share a proposition with you guys at the end! Hopefully you do appreciate this one-shot. I'm pretty excited.**

 **Also, please note that the lyrics to this song are from Hamilton and are not my own. Credit to Lin for it. ^-^ It's an amazing musical! I love it. 3**

 **Also also, apologies in advance if it's on the shorter side compared to other one-shots I've done.**

* * *

Mina's Point of View

* * *

Why did I come to this talent show? Good question. So good in fact that I have absolutely no good answer for it that I can give. In fact, right now, I can not fathom one, single, good reason as to why I chose to come to this sweaty, stuffy, crammed barn that smells. Not to mention I came with Ever and only Ever, at midnight, to hear people screech. It's a stupid thing and I don't know why people would even want to attend this.

And the worst part? Pretty much everyone here appears to be Fae - my inner Grimm radar is going off like crazy - and I'm pretty sure they realize that I'm the odd duck out here. I wish I had the Grimorie with me right now. It'd make me feel so much safer.

However, I don't. Ever said it'd be a beacon for trouble, so she insisted that I didn't bring it along. I resisted the urge to say that just me being there would be a beacon for trouble. Now I wish I had said it, so that I could've brought it for my own sanity's sake.

"Hey, check it out!" Ever says loudly to me as a band begins to finish up their extremely loud, screeching song. They're even worse than the Dead Prince Society with the screaming! "The next person is going to be singing a song from Hamilton. Oh my gosh!"

I roll my eyes as she practically shoves the program in my face so I can see. "Is that that musical you, Nix, and Nan have been oh so obsessed with recently? The one that's basically a history lesson?"

She gasps, as if I've personally offended her. Perhaps I have. She is a pixie after all. "It is _not_ just a history lesson! It is one of the most amazing musicals ever written, right behind Wicked!"

I shrug. "Right, right. Whatever you say."

Ever rolls her eyes, muttering something about me not understanding true art as the group bows and heads off stage. I chuckle under my breath, and catch her glaring at me, causing me to snicker. Finally, she gives up glaring at me to make me stop, and tries something else.

"Stop!" She smacks my arm. "I want to see this 'Tyrone Thompson' sing 'You'll Be Back!'"

"Fine, fine." I step away, rubbing my arm. "Calm down, pixie."

She sticks out her tongue at me. "Don't tell me what to do, Gimp. Now shut up, or I'll slap you again."

Still holding my injured shoulder, I look back at the stage, waiting for this next person to come up as the last act finally trickles off stage. Tyrone Thompson. The name makes them sound like an interesting person. I'll just have to see how I feel about that afterwards, because I have no doubt that they're going to be a Fae.

However, when they do walk on stage, I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. Ever grabs my arm so I can't go running forward, although I still try to. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him for all that he's done to me and everyone I know."

"Mina, you have to calm down. This isn't going to help anyone." Ever responds, but it has no impact on me.

All I can see are his blue eyes making eye contact with mine, his black hair that looks all too familiar because it's the same as Jared's was, and that smile he gives me to show that he's totally doing this to mess with me. "He killed Mei, Ever! Not to mention countless other Fae. Teague deserves to die!"

She doesn't respond, still grabbing my arm to keep me from fighting the crowd so I can reach the stage and strangle him. 'Tyrone' casually grabs the microphone, and all the while his eyes barely ever leave mine as he begins to talk. "Hey guys! I'm Tyrone, and as you might've guessed if you've looked at your programs to see who's next, I'll be singing 'You'll be Back' from Hamillton for you all today. And I have my friends who are going to be playing with me." He gestures behind him, and only now do I see the boys also on stage.

There are three of them. The first one is on the keyboard. He has long, brown hair, and due to how his ears look, I think he's an elf. The second one has reddish colored hair, but with oddly colored bangs, seeing as they're golden. He's playing the bass. Lastly, there's a hot - did I really just think that about a Fae that wasn't Jared? - blonde boy on the drums. An interesting assortment. How do they know Teague? Do they know who he is?

The three of them begin to play, and Teague's smile briefly appears to flicker to a smirk as he winks at me, although I couldn't tell you for sure because the moment I blink he's just smiling. The smirk-wink combination is when it hits me. Is this song going to have some secret message for me? Some demand for the dagger? Some threat? Some hint at the next quest? It better not. This better be an incredibly unlikely coincidence.

Sadly, that never seems to be the case for me.

"You say," 'Tyrone' starts singing, and I'm surprised yet again by the Fae prince. Since when could Teague sing? I never would've guessed it. Perhaps I'll be able to use this as blackmail later, but I don't know if it'll be something he doesn't want people to know later, "the price of my love's not a price that you're willing to pay."

Oh my gosh. I glance at Ever, who's not paying attention to me because she's frowning, and I take the face to mean that these are the actual words to the song. But I can't shake the feeling they're aimed at me, and it makes me uncomfortable.

"You cry in your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by. Why so sad?" He does an exaggerated pout, causing some laughter from the crowd. I don't join in. "Remember we made an arraignment when you went away."

Watching, I notice the tap on his ring finger that seems aimed at me. I frown in response, unable to scowl due to the fact that I'm honestly perplexed. What is that supposed to mean? However, then I grab Ever's arm, and she makes a face at me, not realizing it's a reaction to something Teague just did. He tapped his ring finger because I was engaged to him. Oh gosh, why would he bring that up?

His gaze drifts away for a moment, snapping back on the end of the line, "Now you're making me mad." I release Ever's arm, trying to calm myself down. I can't let him get to me. "Remember, despite our estrangement, I'm your man."

"Ha," I mutter under my breathe, thankful that no one can hear me over how loud the sound is, "you'll never be my man."

"You'll be back, soon you'll see. You'll remember you belong to me." His grin widens when he sees me shake my head in response. "You'll be back, time will tell. You'll remember that I served you well."

I glance at Ever, hoping she'll realize he's having a conversation with me - or so it seems - but she's too busy scowling. Ugh, she's not helping at all.

"Oceans rise, empires fall." He raises an eyebrow at me, and I make a face in return. "We have seen each other through it all. And when push comes to shove, I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!"

He begins to sing some 'da da da dat da's as I consider how true the last line is. It makes my blood boil. He went in and slaughtered countless people in the Godmothers guild, including Mei. Although it certainly wasn't to remind me of his love, except for showing me his love for the stupid dagger. Why did I ever have to get Erjad?

"You say our love is draining and you can't go on!" He swoons dramatically, getting more laughter and even a bit of applause. I don't approve of it at all. "You'll be the one complaining when I am gone..."

"As if." I shake my head.

"And no, don't change the subject." He tilts his head ever so slightly, and I resist the urge to break eye contact. "Cuz you're my favorite subject. My sweet, submissive subject." I'm trying to not think of these lines as if they're directed at me, but it just isn't;t working when he refuses to look away. "My loyal, royal subject. Forever. And ever. And ever and ever and ever."

The thought is literally horrifying. I go to say something to Ever, but she's too focused on looking torn between liking the song and hating the singer.

His grin is back, and he starts on the next verse. How much more of the song is there to sing? "You'll be back, like before. I will fight the fight and win the war. For your love, for your praise. And I'll love you till my dying days. When you're gone, I'll go mad. So don't throw away this thing we had. Cuz when push comes to shove, I will kill your friends and family..." He trails off, and then takes a bow. "Goodnight ladies and gentlemen."

There's this stunned silence as the group just heads off stage. Then, shouting begins. Some people are shouting for them to come back. Others are shouting for them to finish the song, including Ever, and I'm confused as to what he didn't finish. The next group - a duet act - comes up. One's a brown-haired boy with green eyes holding what looks like pan pipes. The other is a redhead who's face looks pretty similar to the first guy's. However, he looks much less enthusiastic. If anything, he looks like he'd kill to be anywhere else. However, I tear my gaze away from the angry mob that won't let them start, and duck away from Ever. I make my way determinedly for the door, walking out the door and around the back.

Sure enough, the small voice in my head telling me Teague and his band mates would be back there was correct. They're by a truck, and Teague leans causally against it as the elf standing and the other two sitting in the back.

Teague smirks. "See, what did I tell you guys? She's here, just as I predicted."

I storm up to him, and attempt to punch him in the face. He catches my wrist before I can. "What the crap was that, Teague? What are you playing at? Why did you do that?"

His smirk widens. "To remind you of my love."

It takes me a moment, but even though I haven't heard the song, it registers in my head that that seems like the last part that he didn't sing. I scowl, jerking away. Thankfully, he releases his grip on the list.

"We both know that's not true, because you don't love me. Why were you here?" I take a careful step backwards, crossing my arms defensively.

He sighs. "You really are no fun. I wanted to see your reaction, Mina. Besides, I suppose it does serve as a warning."

"A warning about what?" I practically shout the words at him. "Stop speaking in riddles and just tell me!"

"I'm sure you'll find out eventually." He winks, and then hops into the car.

I'm left standing there, speechless, as they drive off.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that one-shot. I loved the prompt, Mikkey234! Thanks again for giving it to me. Please remember that the point of this is not just for me to write one-shots, but to write ones that show you what you want to see! So hopefully I can do some more that you guys want (and I'm trying to do some of those still). Anyways, how was it? Good? Bad? If you've seen/heard Hamilton, did you enjoy having Teague sing it? What did you think of the plot line in generally? I enjoyed writing it. C: Let me know any ideas for future one-shots and opinions in reviews!**

 **Now, let's get to the proposition I mentioned earlier. Here's the scoop. I'm putting this here because the most people who read my stories seem to read these one-shots (I think) and I'd like the most people possible to be able to respond. So, let's just jump straight to the point. Spotlight is giving me a ton of difficulty when I try to write it. Everything I write for it seems rather forced, and I think I bit off a bit more than I can chew saying that I would like to do a path with each boy being Mina's guardian. Si, I'd like to take a breather to maybe revampe my plan and then - at least at first - only do one path. However, revamping and regaining my inspiration for it might take a while. So here's what I promise. I take a TEMPORARY break from Spotlight (I WILL continue it later because it's one of my personal favorites character wise and I'm excited for some twists that come later) and write a story that I'm more excited/inspired to write while I work on what I'd like to do for Spotlight instead. Your choices for what I would write if this were to occur (because you deserve to have a say in it and I always do it like this) are the following:**

 **a. A somewhat different spin on the Cinderella tale with another tale woven in. I don't want to give it away completely, but let's just say it'd be super fun - at least I think - and I don't believe it's been done anywhere.**

 **b. A Frozen-inspired quest. I have some ideas for this one that I think would be very fun to do.**

 **c. Simple Bronze Key, the sequel to Little Black Star.**

 **d. Seeker of My Heart, the sequel to Killer of My Heart.**

 **e. A rewrite of one of my old or even discontinued stories. Examples being Hide and Seek, Forgotten and Remembered (combined), or maybe even Dancing (as it is a little jerky and some plot elements change in it by accident). The general plot would stay the same, just some minor differences.**

 **f. A backstory for the Grimorie, something I discussed possibly doing before. Following my current vision, this would be pretty short, so this could be done and followed by something else.**

 **I know this is the second time I've had to pause Spotlight. The problem is that it can be really tough to write sometimes, especially when there are so many paths to look at and there are so little OC x Mina stories. I do intend to finish it (I bet I want to just as much as you guys want me to), I just can't till I plot a new course of action and would like to write a story I'm more excited for in its place. Thanks for understanding!**

 **If you are reviewing to say which story you'd like to see, please give me your TOP THREE picks. That way there should be more votes, so it should be easier for me to find a concise winner. Who knows? It could end up being that I even end up doing multiple. It really depends on how long getting back into the idea of Spotlight takes.**

 **Thanks for reading! Sorry this end part was so long. Please let me know what top three options you'd like to see, any prompts you have for one-shots, and how you felt about this one. Thanks again for being supportive of me! It means so much.**

 **~ Dagger**


	17. Let's Get Everyone To Hate Dagger

**Number Seventeen - Let's Get Everyone To Hate Dagger**

 **Hey hey hey! So Dagger _was_ going to update her actual stories, but where's the fun in that? It's way more fun to make everyone love (and by love I mean hate) me, which is what I'm pretty sure this one-shot is going to do. Time for some fun experimentation. Hehehe. Also, I'm not responding to all of the reviews since some of them were just requests for what I will do in place of Spotlight, however I am responding to some!**

 **Beetle : I'm glad you loved Killer of My Heart so much! I released another story (a one-shot) that actually relates to and hints at Seeker of My Heart, if you want to check that out. I'm glad you think these one-shots are awesome. And haha, I agree. cx It does certainly seem like that, although so far no one has threatened to kill her in the reviews! (Then again, you're the only one reviewing J Is For, so... XD)**

 **Evx : You're welcome! I'm glad you loved the song! It's one of my favorites as well. cx**

 **Meague 3 : I'm glad it was great! And yes, Meague wasn't violently obvious, but it wasn't meant to be. ^-^ I was hoping that it was slightly hinted at though? And ooh, that's what it's about. As for the stories, I actually did throw out a background story for Grimorie (called "J Is For") if you want to check it out. c;**

 **Beetle (again) : Ooh, that's very interesting! I think you're probably right on that.**

 **CoffeeKake : Thanks! And haha, I'm glad you liked the idea of all of those so much. Don't worry, I didn't really expect you to pick one. XP**

 **Mikkey234 : I'm glad you liked it so much! ^-^**

 **HelplessButSatisfied : Haha, it is an _amazing_ musical! As Long As You're Mine would be fun to do, but I'd have to make sure it wasn't seen as too sketchy, as the song can be taken that way. O-O And I agree, What Is This Feeling between Ever and Mina would be sooooo much fun! I'll have to write it some time. That's awesome that you've practically memorized the whole musical, and really impressive!**

 **Now that I've handled this, let's get on with this one-shot, and see what I'm going to do to make you all hate me! :D**

 **And no, I don't mean my description of any clothing in this one-shot. That will hopefully not make you hate me. However, while we're on the topic, please forgive me for the horrible descriptions of clothing. I am not good at explaining it. Give me a little grace, please. Cx If you are interested in an actual picture of what it looked like (as I based each outfit - for the most part - off of a picture), then please shoot me a PM so I can show you.**

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

"Excuse me, what?" I'm practically spitting into the phone, wanting to throttle Nan. "You signed me up to do what? Please, enlighten me on what you've done, Nan, or you aren't going to be around for long."

My blonde friend snorts back at me, and I sigh, really wishing we were having this conversation face to face so that I could attack her. "It's only a date, Mina. Calm down. We're just having different couples come along for it. Brody's really excited for it, seeing as you guys have been super awkward since that dance he invited you to. He's hoping this'll fix things. Give it a shot for him, okay? Please?"

Nan is lucky that I don't swear, because if I did, I would be. She's playing all the right cards to get me to cave in, and I hate it. "Who all is even coming?"

"Besides us and our dates? I'm not completely sure yet." Wonderful. I can see this whole idea has been thought out quite thoroughly. "They're all going to be texting me and letting me know."

"How many people did you even invite?" She makes it sound like she invited the whole city, not just a few people. "I don't want to make a fool of myself."

"Oh, you won't. Barely anyone was invited, and besides, I doubt everyone will come anyways." Despite the fact that she blows off my concerns, I can't shake the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. "Come on, Mina. Please will you do it for Brody?"

I let out a sigh, but that's all I can do before breaking and saying, "Fine. I'll do it because we need to try and mend that fence, but only for that reason. And I'll only go if you help me get ready. I am _not_ preparing for a date by myself if there are other people there besides Brody." After a moment, I decide to add, "Plus, my mom has to okay it. You can't just throw this date idea at me a couple hours before hand and expect me to definitely be able to go."

"Great!" I can hear the grin in her voice, which almost makes me smile, but that feeling is quickly replaced whenever she says, "I'll go ask Brody if he can come right now."

I gasp, wanting to smack her. "Nancy Taylor-"

Sadly, I can't launch into a tirade, because she's hung up on me, and I doubt she'll pick up the phone if I try to call her back. That little rat! Telling me Brody really wants to go to help try and heal the hole of awkwardness in our relationship, only to reveal she hasn't even invited him yet. Of course, that is a Nan move. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by it, and besides, I don't think Brody will turn down the idea. Now just to convince my mom.

And, surprisingly enough, she isn't that hard to convince. I'm almost concerned by how quickly she agrees, as she's almost instantly up on her feet and ushering Charlie and I out the door to the car. I don't talk on the way there, just glancing at her in concern, but she doesn't seem to notice. That just makes me even more nervous. What the heck is up with her eagerness to send me to this? Does she just want me to start getting out of the house more often, since I've been lurking around the house for the most part after the fire at the recycling plant? Or is the Story meddling and preparing for a quest? I don't feel the familiar sense that one is coming, but I still need to be aware. However, for now I decide to calm down and pretend that there's no curse to worry about. I just need a normal night for once, and I think this is the time to get one. Maybe it's a good thing that Nan planned this after all.

Actually, I retract that statement. I don't want to make it now and jinx it, so instead I'll wait till the night is over and decide then whether or not I'm thankful. With my luck, I have a feeling I won't be.

"Mina! I'm so glad you can make it!" Nan squeals, rushing up to me as I step out of the car. "Brody's coming, so don't worry your little head, okay?" She laughs at the face I make before leaning around me to wave into the car at my mom and Charlie. "Hey Charlie! Make sure you're ready to watch that movie with me on Friday, alright? And thank you for dropping Mina off, Mrs. Grime! I promise I'll return her in one piece."

My mom and presumably Charlie - who I can't see since Nan is blocking the way - wave goodbye before driving off. The moment they're heading back down the road, Nan grabs me by the arm and drags me inside. She's in quite the rush as she ushers me into her room, which is even more of a disaster zone than mine is. Clothes are thrown everywhere, and I'm honestly surprised she can find anything.

"So," I ask, sitting on one of the only spots that's not covered by clothes on her bed, "are you going to tell me who all is even coming to this?"

"Nope!" She announces dramatically, seeming quite pleased. "It's a surprise for everyone except for me. We're all meeting up for dinner, and then we're going to go see a movie afterwards. It'll be a blast."

I huff, but don't push it. "Fine, fine. Should I show you the clothes I brought in my bag, and you can help me figure out what to wear?"

"No way. We are not doing that." Her response is fast and firm, and actually is slightly offending. She might realize this, because she then adds, "No offense, but your clothes aren't necessarily the best, Mina, and I doubt you brought proper shoes. I'll be dressing you today, okay? You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Are you sure this is the best idea? Every time you have me wear one of your outfits, something bad happens later." Nan pouts at this, and then it's my turn to do damage control. "But I guess this time will just have to break that trend. Alright, what do you have for me?"

She squeals in excitement. "It's going to be so cute on you! Give me one minute - two at most - and then you'll get to see it."

She hops up onto the bed, grinning down at me. Then, she proceeds to climb over all the clothes to reach her closet, hopping down and giving a little bow when she reaches the end. I give her a quick round of applause, causing us both to laugh. In all my wallowing in self-pity, I'd practically forgotten how easy it is to be around Nan. She proceeds to push aside different articles of clothing in her closet once my applause is over, seeming quite serious in her search for something. Finally, she pulls a hanger out, and displays an outfit to me.

The first words that come out of my mouth are, "Isn't the skirt a little too short?"

"Oh, please. It'll barely be above your knees, and besides, a slightly shorter skirt than you're used to won't matter." Nan climbs back over the bed - being careful to not hold the ounfit low enough to step on it as she walks across - and steps down in front of me so I can see better. "Isn't it cute?"

She is right on that account. It's composed of two parts, technically. There's a white skirt that appears to be two layers of materials, with the second being slightly longer than the first. Then, the shirt is a jean jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to what appears to be somewhat above the elbow. On top of both is a brown belt, with ruffles on the side.

"Alright, fine, it is kind of cute," I admit, "but are you sure? Your faith in me might be misplaced if I end up ruining the dress."

Nan smirks. "I'd rather you wear it for a day and ruin it than I wear it for a year and have it be fine. Although, do try to keep from ruining it, okay?"

"Okay, got it." I laugh, nodding my head.

"Now stop making excuses and go get dressed!" Nan proceeds to usher me into her bathroom and shut the door behind me. "You are not allowed to come out till you are dressed in that outfit."

Shaking my head ands smiling despite myself, I get out of the clothes I was wearing and get into the outfit the blonde has provided. It does seem like it looks nice on me in the mirror, but I'm not the best judge. What if I'm just imagining it? A little afraid, I step out of the bathroom to show Nan.

She proceeds to scream, nearly bursting my eardrums, upon seeing it. "It looks even better than I thought it would! Oh my gosh, now we need to do your hair and makeup. This is so exciting!"

I raise my eyebrows at that. "Makeup? No way. I am not doing makeup, Nan, okay? I'll do whatever hairstyle you decide is suitable and I will have minimal complaints, but I'm not willing to let you paint my face."

Nan pouts, and then asks while giving me her best attempt at puppy eyes, "Can I at least paint your nails? Pretty please?"

"Oh, alright." I nod, and she bounces in excitement. "But before we do that, what are you wearing?"

"It's right here!" She spins around to look at her desk, shoving stuff aside before pulling up a cute dress which has miraculously stayed unwrinkled.

It's a mint green skirt with white dots all over it, and a matching bow is on the strap. The top is white, with a brown belt - adorned with a bow - holding both together on top of them. The skirt is almost at the knees, and so I make a face at her. She grins and winks in response.

"Well, go ahead and put it on." I urge, and usher her into the bathroom, just like she did to me. "I want to see how you're going to look!"

After a few minutes, she reemerges, and I applaud for her. She looks stunning, a thought that is reinforced as she strikes a few - albeit silly - poses for me. I grab my stomach, trying to keep from laughing so hard that I hurt myself whenever she begins to imitate our different friends one at a time.

"Stop, stop!" I choke out, holding a hand out as my eyes begin to water, a huge grin on my face. "Oh gosh, that hurts. You look amazing, Nan, but if you want me to be able to come on this huge date outing, you need to not murder me."

She playfully shoves me in the shoulder. "Aw, you wouldn't have died. Chin up."

I roll my eyes in response, flopping backwards on the bed. "Whatever. So, we're all ready to go now, right?"

"Haha, very funny." Nan sticks her tongue out at me in response. "We're not ready to go till we've done hair, nails, my makeup, and have shoes on. Besides, even if we did all that, we'd still be waiting on Brody to give us a ride, so we've got plenty of time?"

In a second, I'm in a sitting position, wishing I'd known this detail before. "Brody is picking us up?" The thought shouldn't make me nervous, but instead it makes me feel irrationally worried. "And you didn't care to tell me this before?"

"Oh calm your little head down, Min. He's your boyfriend; you have absolutely no reason to be getting anxious over him picking us up. After all, you knew he was coming. You'll just be seeing him sooner than expected." She turns around to look at her desk. "Now, back to the important stuff. Should we do hair or nails first?"

"Why are you asking me?" I say in response, giving her an overly exaggerated confused face. "I came here to receive help getting ready, not tell you how to do things. Be confident in yourself, Nan! Take charge!"

"You're such a jerk." Nan says the words without a bite, chucking a shirt at me. It lands on my face, and I pull it off, sticking my tongue out at her. "I already did my hair in this bun-"

"-which is a very good bun, if I might add-" I fill that in just to let her know that she looks good.

She continues without verbally acknowledging my compliment, but her wink let's me know that it wasn't missed, "-so I'll do your nails, then your hair, then my nails and makeup. After that we'll grab shoes, and by then Brody should be here."

The process honestly doesn't take that long. Painting my nails goes by in a flash. She paints them each a blue that matches my top, and then adds white dots to each. It looks prettier than I expected, but I don't tell Nan that. I'm afraid that she would be offended if I did. While they dry, she slightly curls my hair, but not enough for it to make too much of a statement or difference. Once that's done, she applies her makeup and paints her own nails a mint green with thin, white stripes. As we do, she informs me all about the different TV shows she's been watching - Downton Abbey, Once Upon A Time, and When Calls The Heart to name a few - and how so and so isn't getting with the person she wants them to. It's a mix of confusing and entertaining with a slight pinch - very slight - of boredom. However, I won't tell her that.

"There we go." Nan announces, bouncing off the bed and onto her feet before gesturing for me to stand. "Everything is dry. Now it's time for shoes."

I fully intend to go along with whatever she suggests till she whips two inch, white, closed-toe heels. With that height, I'd be at the same level as Brody. "Nan Taylor, you better not be expecting me to wear those."

My friend huffs in response, tossing one at me. It's lucky I catch it, or else I'd probably get hurt. "Oh come on, you'll be fine."

I gape. "Fine? I won't be fine in heels. I'm _cursed_. Heels is just asking for trouble. I'll probably trip in them and fall on my face."

"Like I said, you'll be fine. Be more positive for once, Min," Is her answer as she waves her hand as if that action can wave away all my problems. "If it'll make you feel better, I'm wearing heels as well."

As she tosses the other heel at me and pulls out matching mint green ones, I decide to continue whining. "But you wear them all the time. You are experienced in this matter; I'm not. I don't want to make a fool of myself."

She looks at me, and the tone of her voice leaves no room for arguing. "Then put them on now and practice, Wilhelmina Grimm."

I slip them on as she puts on her, and my nerves begin to throw a party in my stomach. What if I puke from anxiety? That would be even more embarrassing than tripping and landing on my face because of these heels. Gosh, why did I ever let Nan wrangle me into doing this?

I stand up on wobbly feet, glancing at an already standing Nan, who decides to respond with, "See? You're a natural!"

"If by 'natural' you mean 'a clown,' then yes, I am a natural." I respond, and Nan rolls her eyes.

"You're definitely going to trip if you're not confident." She shoots back.

I shrug, preparing to respond with a counter argument till Nan's mom calls to us, saying, "Girls! There's a very handsome boy here to pick you guys up, and I don't think it's very nice to keep him waiting!"

"Oh my gosh, Mom!" Nan's face goes bright red as I try to hold back my snickers so that she doesn't smack me or step on my foot. "We're coming, okay?"

Nan opens her door, and leads our little procession of two out to her living room. Sure enough, there's Brody sitting on the couch and looking rather dapper, and Nan's mom is sitting in the recliner close by. They seem to be having a fairly nice conversation, but they stop when we walk in.

Brody's eyes widen, and he stands up. "You guys look fantastic!"

"Thanks." I respond, cheeks going pink from embarrassment despite the fact that he's my boyfriend.

"Thanks, Brods." Nan says, and Brody looks rather startled by the nickname. It's a very odd choice, yet very much like Nan to pick, so I suppose it's fitting. "Ready to blow this popsicle stand?"

"If you guys are." He says, before turning back to Mrs. Taylor. "Thank you so much for the conversation, Mrs. Taylor. Are you alright if we all go? I promise I'll make sure they return in one piece."

"Oh, don't bother asking her for permission." Nan makes her way towards the door. "She has to let us go."

Her mom turns her head to look in the direction she went. "Oh no I don't, Nancy! At least your friends have manners. They make up for the ones you lack." She glances back at Brody and me, and smiles apologetically. "Sorry about that. Of course you guys can go now. Have fun, alright? And make sure to keep my daughter in line."

I laugh along with Brody and respond with, "We'll try."

As Brody and I head to catch up with Nan - who is almost at Brody's car by the time we reach the front door - he stops me for a moment and pulls me into a hug. "Hey, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." I say before detaching myself. "As much as I want to talk to you," His face looks slightly skeptical at that, and I inwardly cringe at the statement, since I blatantly avoided speaking to pretty much all of my friends unless I had to, "we should probably make sure Nan doesn't break your car." I gesture outside, where Nan is currently jerking at the car door handle and loudly yelling. "We'll have plenty of time to talk, okay?"

"You're right." Brody's face lights up with another grin, and he holds the door open for me on the way out.

As we approach the car and he fishes his car keys out of his pocket, Nan practically shouts, "Are you lovebirds finally ready to get this show on the road? We have to be at the restaurant in a half hour!"

Brody shakes his head. "Then we have plenty of time. Calm on down."

Nan stomps her foot. "Don't tell me to calm down, Carmichael! Mina, tell him that I have every right to be upset."

Instead of doing as she asks, I open her car door and usher her inside. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure we'll have great timing. Besides, didn't you tell me that it's fashionable to arrive late to a party?"

"But it's not a party." Nan says, however I can tell she's joking.

I hop in the car while Brody holds my own door open like the perfect gentleman he is. Then, he gets in on his side, and after we're all buckled, he drives us to where we're getting dinner. The car ride is mainly filled with small talk and laughter, although I can tell Brody is itching to talk to me about the time travel. For once, I'm glad Nan is being a third wheel. Obviously I love her and don't want her to feel left out as a third wheel, bu this time she's making sure Brody and I don't have to talk about what happened. Honestly, it makes my life a million times easier.

We arrive, and Nan is the one to speak to the hostess. "We have a reservation for ten."

"Ten?" I don't mean to exclaim about the number out loud, but once I have I just decide to roll with it. "There are five different couples coming?"

"I'm sure Nan knows what she's doing." Brody completely misinterprets why I'm so shocked, but I don't bother correcting him.

"This way." The hostess interrupts to regain our attention, and leads us through a door to a back room it's a long table. "Your waiter will be here to check on you guys shortly."

Just as we start to get settled in, the door opens, and in steps a boy I've never seen before. He's got red-colored hair, so I guess I could've mistaken him to be Nix, but their faces are too different for that. Even if they weren't, his gold bangs are a dead giveaway that he's not my nixie friend. The amber eyes back this up even more. Who is he?

"Alex!" Nan squeals, leaping from her seat and running - despite her heels - over before throwing her arms around him. "I'm so glad that you were able to come!"

"Nothing could've kept me away." He responds with a wide grin, and Brody and I exchange confused looks.

"Who is this, Nan?" I ask, looking back at the pair.

Nan looks back at us, and shakes her head. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I forgot you guys haven't met yet. These are my close friends, Mina and Brody. Mina and Brody, this is Alexander-"

"-but you can call me Alex." He finishes, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I've heard great things about you. I'm Nan's boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" I practically scream the words, having to resist the urge to slap the table. "You didn't think that I should have been informed of this?"

Nan looks slightly abashed. "Sorry, but you've been super busy with stuff. I didn't want to add to your load."

I gape. "Add to my load? How would this add to my load? Nan, this is fantastic!"

Alex raises his eyebrows, and a shiver runs down my spine that's all to familiar. He's Fae. Is he here to cause trouble? I don't want to doubt his and Nan's relationship, but now I'm concerned.

"Well, Alex, come on over and sit down. We'd love to hear more about you, now that we know you exist." Brody says, gesturing for the pair to come sit down again. "How did you guys meet?"

Nan's boyfriend proceeds to tell a story about how Nan poured coffee all over him when she tripped walking away from the counter with it - a story that seems to embarrass her beyond belief - and that it just went on from there. I laugh along with Brody, but I try to stay on alert. I need to make sure he's not here to pull anything.

Right as Brody begins to ask where he goes to school, the door opens again and in comes the next pair. Ever strolls inside, laughing with a guy that - again - I've never seen before. He has shaggy, dirty blonde hair, and vibrant green eyes, and this time I catch the tingle of Fae in the air much quicker. He's Fae as well, but I'm inclined to trust a Fae partner of Ever's more than Alex.

"Ever?" I ask, waving to her. "Who's that?"

Nan squeals. "Is this the guy you were talking to me about?"

I throws my hands up in the air in exasperation. "Why does no one tell me these things?"

"Because you were holed up in your house and not talking to anyone." Brody points out, and I cringe. "So, whose your boyfriend, Evs?"

"He's not my boyfriend." The pixie says, looking embarrassed. "This is a good friend of mine named Storm."

"Just a good friend?" Nan challenges, causing Ever's face to go even redder than it was already.

The mysterious Storm smirks in response. "Well, I might argue otherwise, but don't tell Ever."

"Storm!" For the first time ever, I hear Ever squeal as she lightly punches his arm. I guess her powder blue dress doesn't stop her from doing that.

Brody shakes his head, making eye contact with Alex. They certainly seem to be fast friends. "Well, come on and sit down. We obviously have lots to catch up on."

However, they have barely even sat down before the door opens again, and I have to fight to keep myself from screaming in horror. It's a couple walking in, arm in arm. The girl has golden blonde hair currently up in a bun, which really sticks out compared to her black dress that is even shorter than mine, and her hazel eyes narrow ever so slightly as she makes eye contact with me. Compared to her escort, she seems tiny. Speaking of the escort, he's perhaps even worse. He is also dressed in black, however his hair is the same color, so it doesn't stick out. His blue eyes, however, certainly stick out as they skate right over me, almost as if I don't exist. I grab onto my dress as tightly as possible, daring to glance at Ever, who seems to be struggling to keep her mouth from dropping.

"Ty and Annie!" Nan stands up, waving for them to come over. "Come on, take a seat. Everyone, Ty is a friend of mine from acting camp, and this his girlfriend..." She hesitates, glancing at 'Ty.' "She is your girlfriend, right?" When he nods, she continues as if she didn't hesitate at all. "This is his girlfriend, Annie."

This time when I look back at Ever, we make eye contact. Both of us seem to have the same question, which is why the heck are Teague and Annalora here?

"Is this seat taken?" I rip my gaze away from Ever to look and see that it is Teague asking me, his face void of any sign that he knows me.

"Ye-" I begin, but a folded napkin comes flying across the table and smacks me in the face.

"No, you're fine to sit there." Nan announces before glaring across the table at me, sending the silent message that I need to get along with her friend.

As if that'll ever happen.

Brody taps my hand, and I look over at him to watch him mouth, "Are you okay?"

I nod, whigh seems to satisfy him, as he then strikes up a conversation with Teague and Annalora while Nan and Alex talk to Storm and Ever. Since Brody and Teague are on either side of me, I don't have much choice but to listen and avoid Annalora's gaze from across the table. Teague made that crazy gnome his girlfriend? What the heck is up with that? He hates her!

"So, Ty," Brody begins, "what do you like to do?"

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. "Well, I like to study fairytales." Somehow, he manages to say it without giving anything away, and I force my hands into my lap. "I also love spending time with my girlfriend, and I enjoy checking out pyrotechnics."

Alright, two can play at this game. "Really? You seem like the kind of guy that would be into defenestration."

"Mina." Brody mutters to me in warning as Teague raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize that you could get that sort of impression about someone you just met." He responds smoothly.

Well, while I'm making 'assumptions,' I guess I might as well continue on with it. "Do you watch the bachelor?"

"No. Do you?" The question seems to throw him off.

Good, I'm confusing him. "No, you just struck me as the kind of person who'd do something like that."

Teague ducks his head away - probably to cover his smirk, because knowing him, he'd probably be amused and not irritated like I'd like him to be - as Annalora stands up, seeming outraged. "Excuse me?"

Brody grabs my hand, and I hear him again say in warning, "Mina!" This time it's sharper, and more like a command.

"My apologies, Annie." I say, making sure to avoid looking at Brody. "So, what are you into? Water and plants?"

That one is a little less obvious, but Teague still stifles a snort as Annalora practically slaps the table. "You seem like the girl who's interested in cheating to make it through what she needs to do."

Beside me, my boyfriend begins to rise to challenge her - even though I'm provoking her - but I catch his hand to stop him. I've got this. Sweetly, I respond, "Well, I'm certain that your looks must not help you accomplish anything, and besides, at least I can think of a solution to a problem."

She sputters, and Brody harshly whispers to me, "What the heck is up with you?"

"What are you talking about?" I respond, now in a not-verbally-confirmed staring contest with Annalora.

"Why I ought t-" Annalora snarls, and it's only when Teague grabs her hand that she calms down.

"Please," I grumble, "get that girl a leash."

"You shut up right now! You have no idea who you are talking to!" Annalora is practically screeching, and now all the others have stopped talking to stare at us.

Teague motions for his girlfriend to sit. "Annie, please, you are causing a scene, and I don't want to ruin my friend's event."

"Then make her shut up!" She points a finger at me, and in her eyes she seems to be predicting my demise.

"I'm sure she did mean any harm." Oh, he totally knows I was aiming to do this. Why the heck is he covering for me?

"I will handle my girlfriend." Brody says, sounding somewhat protective.

"Oh, you'll _handle_ me, will you?" I snap, turning to look at him.

Nan stands up, and I flinch as she scowls at me. "Mina, stop it! Are you trying to ruin this and make a bad first impression?"

Instead of answering, I mumble a quick, "I think I'm going to be sick," and hurry off to the bathroom.

Once I'm inside, I stand at the sink, grabbing the edge of the counter as I try to regain control. I can't lose it like that. Nan will kill me if I ruin this, and I really don't want to upset her after that fiasco of a concert that resulted in her ditching me for a while. I turn the water on, splashing some in my face. They're obviously here to get under my skin. I just need to not let them. I can't antagonize them, and I can't let them antagonize me. Simple, right?

Ha, I wish.

I turn around, and when I open the door, nearly actually throw up. Standing in the door way is a girl I never thought I'd see again. Ferah, the assassin Godmother herself, dressed in a long, pastel purple and pink dress. I saved her life, and in turn she ruined everything.

"You!" I practically spit at her. "What the heck are you doing here?"

She glares right back at me. "I'm here for a date. What are _you_ doing here?"

I wish I could smack my head off the wall. "Please don't tell me you're here as Nix's girl."

"Nope." She shakes her head, and I breathe a sigh of relief that comes too soon. "I'm just here as his friend."

"Not you too." I moan, wishing I could curl up in the corner and cry. In fact, I have to really fight not to go run into a stall and hide there all night.

"What, not happy to see me?" She asks, her glare shifting to a smirk.

I give her a murderous look as an answer. "Don't even start."

Shoving past her, I make my way out, only to run into Nix. "Hey, Mina! It's nice to see you out of the house!" He hesitates, noticing my expression. "At least, I think it is? You look agitated, to put it mildly. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I mumble, trying - and failing - to formulate a proper response. "It's just that I'm feeling a little sick. If anyone asks, I'm outside getting some fresh air, okay?"

"You say that like that's not all you're doing." He challenges. "I'm not going to make excuses for you if you don't tell me what you're doing."

"I'm trying to walk home." I say, practically throwing my arms up in defeat. "I don't think I'll last one more minute in there, but I'm not going to make anyone leave to take me home. That'll just make things worse. But I know I can't stay either. Please, just don't let them know that I'm leaving."

"Fine." Nix sighs, stepping outside of the way. "But you better tell me what's actually wrong later if I'm going to excuse you now."

I hurry past, muttering a quick, "Thank you," as I hurry out the front door of the restaurant.

When I get outside, I take a deep breath. Just getting fresh air already make me feel a bit better. However, it's not enough to make me risk going back inside. I refuse to go in and face all of them again, especially now that Ferah is there. Spotting a bench to the side, I sit down, staring up at the sky that is just starting to turn dark. I definitely spoke prematurely before. This is the worse thing I could've possibly agreed to.

I reach down, slowly slipping off my right heel and then the left one. Once they're off, I wiggle my toes, which breathe a sigh of relief. They won't be as relieved once I've walked for awhile, but I'm sure walking barefoot will be more comfortable than wobbling around in these. Picking them up in one hand, I stand up and glance back at the restaurant. I can't see my friends from here, which is good, because then they could see me. However, I can't help but feel a pang of guilt, and perhaps even a longing to stay? I can't help but feel like I'm going to miss out on some bonding, and that maybe by doing this I'm going to hurt my relationship with Nan. However, I'll ruin my relationship more if I stay. How am I supposed to explain that her good friend - who somehow I doubt she actually knows - is the Story, and that his girlfriend tried to kill me in a competition to marry him? The whole idea makes me legitimately feel queasy, and I have to compose myself so that I don't hurl.

I wave goodbye to the establishment before beginning to walk towards the road. "With my luck, I'll get kidnapped or something even worse. That would be just perfect. The icing on the cake." I reach the road, moving so that I can instead trudge through the grass on the side. "Maybe that would be better. I have the Grimorie. I could blow off some steam that way. Not that I want a quest or rogue Fae to attack. However, it would let me take out my anger on someone I can actually, legally - at least, legally to Fae - suck into the book."

"Mina, wait!" Brody shouts my name from behind, and I glance back to see him frantically waving his arms and running towards me. "Where are you going?"

"Apparently nowhere." I mutter, turning all the way around to watch him approach. Then, I raise my voice and say, "I'm going home!"

"No, you're not." He reaches me, barely winded.

I fold my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. "Who says you're the one who gets to make that decision?"

"Look, you're right, I don't get to make that decision." He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "But please, can you just work with me here? How did you expect to get home?"

"I was going to walk." Saying those words to him make the idea sound incredibly stupid, and I guess it is.

"All the way home?" He raises his eyebrows at that, making me feel even stupider. "What is up with you today? You were fine earlier, and yet now you seem like a ball of agitated energy."

I rub my temple. "Look, I don't know. Did Nix rat me out? Is that how you knew I was here?"

He nods, and quickly begins to explain. "It's not his fault. He really did try to make excuses for you, and everyone else bought it. I pulled him aside and got the real details from him."

"Please just let me go home, Brody." I say, looking up at him.

He sighs, looking torn, and then says. "Alright, I'll drive you home."

I shake my head furiously, appalled. "No no, you're Nan's ride. I can't do a repeat of that concert."

His argument in response is, "I'm sure her boyfriend will be willing to take her back. Alex seems like a nice guy."

"But we told her mom we'd keep her in line. If I'm going to go home, you have to stay." I protest,

"Mina, I can't just let you walk home, especially alone. That's unsafe for so many different reasons." He's getting frustrated. "Please come back inside."

I shake my head. "And make everything worse? I don't think so."

"You won't make everything worse, I swear." He responds. "Just stop antagonizing Nan's friends, please."

I have to resist stomping my foot like a spoiled little brat. "It's not as easy as that, Brody!"

Now he's actually getting mad. "And why not?" He calms down, taking a deep breath, and then asks, "Does it have to do with the curse?"

"That's not important." I'm hoping to get away with not really answering. "Look, I don't want to ruin Nan's night, and the only way I can do that is by leaving right now. Please, you have to understand."

He doesn't give me an answer. Instead, he pulls me over into a hug. It takes me by surprise, but after a moment of hesitation, I hug him back. Pulling away a bit but keeping his arms around me, he looks down at me. In my mind, I unintentionally think about the height difference between him and Teague, but I'm quickly distracted from that whenever he brushes aside my bangs and plants a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you." He says after a moment of rather comfortable silence. "You do know that, right?"

I nod. "I love you too, although I know I haven't been doing a very great job at demonstrating that."

Tilting my head up, this time I kiss him on the lips. It's quick, but pleasant. This time, I thankfully don't get caught up in comparing his kiss to that of Jared's or Teague's. I hug him again, probably surprising him with all the physical affection, but I don't care. I didn't realize how much I missed him.

"Will you at least stay for the movie?" He asks gently after another few minutes of silence. "I won't make you do anything, and if you say yes, we don't even have to go back inside to wait. We can wait on the bench by the door."

His phone goes off, and he frowns, glancing at me. "Go on and check it." I say, patting his arm and slipping out of his grip. "It could be important."

He pulls it out of his pocket, and checks. "It's from Nan. Apparently the movie theater and the restaurant are suffering from power outages, so we have to call it a night and do this some other time." I breathe a sigh of relief, and he grins a little. "So I guess I can drive you guys home after all."

"I hope she won't hate me." I mutter, glancing at the ground.

I look back at Brody to see him raising his eyebrows. "You're her best friend. How could she ever hate you? I'm sure she'll forgive you. She'll be more outraged by this power outage anyways." He turns to go towards the door, and then glances back at me. "Before we walk back, do you want to put your shoes back on?"

I sigh. "I probably should, although I don't particularly want to."

He laughs, a sound that is particularly pleasant after a bad night. I'm so glad he's not mad at me anymore. "Alright, let's go meet them at the front so we can grab Nan and go."

I slip my shoes back on, and he slips his arm around mine. Smiling despite how crappy I feel, I walk along with him. By now the sky is dark, but I don't mind. In fact, it almost makes walking through the parking lot with Brody feel romantic. How weird is that? We reach the doors as our friends all begin to funnel out. Ever and Storm see us, and wave while muttering their goodbyes before splitting off to get to their car. Nix and Ferah do the same, leaving us standing with Nan, Alex, Annalora, and Teague.

"I can't believe it!" Nan rants, acting just how Brody predicted she would. "Out of all the nights for it to happen, it has to happen now. We didn't even get to order!"

"It'll be fine, Nan." Teague responds, holding hands with Annalora. The sight makes me want to barf. "We can do it again some other time."

Nan sighs, casting a somewhat sour glance at me as she says, "That's probably for the best."

I open my mouth to respond, but then shut it. I've done enough damage as it is.

Brody decides to take initiative, and says, "Well, I guess I'll drive Nan and Mina on home now."

He turns around, fishing his car keys out of his pocket, only to gape. "Where the heck is the car?"

"It's gone?" I ask, turning to look as well. Sure enough, the spot where the car was parked previously is empty. I try to think if I saw it wheneever I would've passed it to leave the parking lot, but I can't remember. "How can it just disappear like that?"

"Are you guys going to need a ride?" Teague asks casually, and I can't help but wonder if he has anything to do with the car's disappearance.

"We'll catch a bus, but thanks for the answer." I'm glad Brody says it instead of me.

"Well, in that case, I'll drive Nan home, if it's all the same to you guys." Alex says, and Nan flashes a pleased smile at him.

Brody hesitantly shrugs. "I mean, I told her mom I would take her home."

Nan jumps at the opportunity. "Oh, she won't mind. She loves Alex."

Teague speaks up again. "Well, now that Nan has a ride, I should point out to you guys that the bus doesn't have a stop anywhere around here."

"You're kidding me." I mutter.

"Look, we'll drive you guys." Teague says again, and his eyes dare me to try and find a way to get out of it.

Sadly, I can't. "Fine."

"Oh gosh, how am I suppose to explain this to my mother?" Brody mumbles, before waving bye to Nan. "Bye, Nan and Alex."

I echo him, but while Nan waves to Brody, she only gives me a weird look. Brody grabs my hand before looking back to eagle and Annalora, who seem to have gotten even closer than they were previously. They kiss, and for a moment I'm concerned that they'll do the sort of kiss where it looks like they're eating each other's face. Thankfully, they spare us from that blinding, ghastly sight.

They pull apart, and Teague pulls his car keys out of his pocket. "Alright, let's go."

"Thanks, Annie and Ty." Brody says, walking along with me as we follow.

Annie pulls the car door to the back open, and I let Brody get in first. Then, as I get in, she casts a devious look at me. I can't question her about it when Brody is here though, and besides, I doubt she'd actually tell me what it means. Once I'm in, she slams the door closed behind me. Then, she hops in the passenger seat, and Teague takes the driver's spot.

"Um, there aren't any seat belts back here." The golden boy beside me says after a moment of us both looking around for them.

"They broke, and I still have to get them fixed." Teague says in response. "Don't worry, I'm an excellent driver. You have nothing to worry about."

Brody bites his lip. "Are you sure, Ty?"

"Hey, be thankful that you even have a ride to get home." The Dark Prince shoots back, successfully shutting up Brody's argument.

The conversation that happens during the car is very uncomfortable - at least for me - and awkward. There's quite a bit of flirting between Annalora and Teague, which makes me feel sick all over again. It's so gross. In fact, it's even grosser than when I overheard them when I went back in time. Out of all the girls Teague could date, he had to pick the warty, gnome princess. Not only that, but he has to rub it in my face, not that I care. However, seriously, why is he doing it? I'm surprised that Brody hasn't freaked out on him yet, seeing as he keeps taking his eyes off the road so that he can look at 'Annie' in the seat next to him. Gosh, this is miserable.

I lean my head against Brody's shoulder, and he wraps his arms around me. I actually think I might fall asleep, because I close my eyes for one moment, and then suddenly Brody is gently shaking me awake.

"Hey, um, we're at my house." He glances at the front seats, where Teague is getting out. "Do you feel comfortable riding home with them? Or do you want to wait at my house and call your mom? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you crashed at my place, just until your mom could show up."

I consider it for a moment. I really wish I could do that, however that would be a sign of weakness to them. I refuse to lsoe to them.

So, despite not wanting to, I shake my head. "No, I won't inconvenience you guys or my mom. I'll just let them drive me back. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I doubt your parents will appreciate me hanging out at your house for however long it would take for my mom to come. Besides, what happens if she can't show up?"

Brody nods rather begrudgingly. "Alright, that's a fair point."

He hops out of the car, and after glancing at me one last time, waves goodbye and heads up to the door. Teague escorts him, which leaves me with Annalora.

"Enjoying yourself, Ellle?" She asks, turning back to look at me and raise her eyebrows. Gosh, can no one raise one eyebrow except for Teague? How is that fair? "Or should I call you Wilhelmina Grimm? Do you have a preference?"

"How about neither?" I shoot back.

"Hm, I think I'll just call you Cinders, like in the stories." She smirks, leaning forward a bit as if that'll make her more threatening or scary.

Thankfully, I have a decent response. "So, should I call you Warty? Or is that too brutally honest?"

"You little twerp. You don't know who you're messing with." Now I've got her riled up again. That's probably not a good thing, but I don't care.

I look at her straight on, and respond with, "Actually, I think I knew exactly who I'm dealing with."

Looking outraged, when Teague opens the door, she asks, "Can I drive now?" She seems to barely be concealing her rage.

The request seems to take the prince by surprise, but he doesn't fight her. "Sure."

She leans in, giving him a quick kiss, and then switches seats with him. "Thanks, babe."

I cringe at the pet name. How does Teague live with that? It just sounds so wrong coming out of her mouth, especially about the Dark Prince. I never could've pictured this happening. How much more awkward will this car ride be?

"Mina, I'm almost disappointed by your comments at dinner." Teague says, looking back at me through the rearview mirror. "There were so many good comments you could've made, and yet you didn't. However, I will admit that your comments about defenestration and the Bachelor were decent."

I cross my arms. "Sorry, I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Please do." He nods, moving to look out the window. "And then you left to go hang out outside. I couldn't believe it."

"She just couldn't handle the heat." Annalora says smugly.

I can't resist it. "More like I couldn't handle looking at the ugly mug you call a face any longer."

It happens so fast that I can barely understand what's happening. One moment we're driving on a road void of any cars but us, and the next we're swerved off the road, flipping over thanks to what can only be Fae magic and smacking into a tree. As I smack into the chair in front of me and slide downwards, smacking my head as I go, I remember Teague's comments about there being no seat belts. My vision blurs over, and I think I must've broke something, because there was a sickening crunch whenever I smacked down. I try to move, but I can't. Oh gosh, what happened? Am I okay?

"Annalora!" Someone - I think it's Teague - practically shouts the words, or maybe I'm just having issues with my hearing. "What the heck did you do that for?"

I hear the sound of a door opening, and a girl who I can only assume is Annalora responds, "She deserved it! Now you can kill her and move on to her brother."

"I can't kill her. She has the dagger." His voice makes it sound like she should've known this already.

"Oh come on. If she dies, it'll be so much easier to find it." That stupid gnome. Is she really trying to convince him to kill me?

And on second thought, why isn't he doing so? Why does he even need prompting to?

"No, it won't be, because she's the only one who knows where it is." Teague's voice sounds closer, and I swear a ringing in my ears.

Am I going to die either way?

"If you won't kill her, I'll kill her myself." I hear another door open quickly, and then the sound of someone hitting a tree while uttering a sharp cry. "Teague!"

"No!" His voice sounds even louder. Is he close? Is he shouting? Am I broken? I don't know! "No one gets to kill her except me. And right now I don't benefit from her death, as much as I'd like to see it. Don't ever suggest that again." I feel someone scooping me up like a limp rag doll, and when I manage to tilt my pounding head, I see that it is Teague, just as I thought. Awkwardly enough, he's carrying me bridal style, but I'm too injured to really care. "Look what you've done, Annalora. I knew there was a reason that you wanted to drive."

"Please. I could've crashed the car anyways. It was just more satisfying since I was the one driving." She sounds like she's recovered from being thrown.

"You can find your own way home." He retorts. "I have to get her back and fix the mess you've made." It seems like he tries to use some Fae magic, but nothing seems to happen. "And we'll have to walk till my magic recovers from the crash. What the heck, Annalora?"

The gnome suddenly begins to come off as distressed. "Wait, don't leave me here! Teague! Don't just abandon me. What happened to us being lovers?"

He lets out an impatient sigh. "If you're still here in the morning, I'll pick you up and take you to whatever dump you're currently calling home. Until then, you can stay here or try to find your own way home."

As he starts to walk down the street, I begin to drift out of consciousness. However, I do come back, although I'm not sure how much later it is. However, I'm much more distracted by the fact that I seem to have shifted my position - or maybe Teague shifted me, although somehow I doubt it, which makes this whole thing worse - in his arms. My arms are now wrapped around his neck, and I'm awfully snuggled up against him. Knowing that my face is probably flushing pink, I try to figure out if I should move my arms, but I'm more worried that I might fall if I let go. At least, that's what I tell myself.

"You're awake." He comments, which takes me by surprise. I thought he didn't realize I had woken back up. He peers down at me, and I can't figure out what he's doing it for. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I guess so." I respond, not sure what to do, although thankfully my face is thankfully not pink anymore.

He smirks a little. "You got quite comfortable while you were out of it."

Which, of course, makes my face go pink all over again. "Be quiet!"

His smirk shifts into more of a grin, and he chuckles. "Just saying."

Geez, since when has Teague ever been decent to me? What the heck is wrong? He shouldn't be acting like this. Confused, I end up saying, "I thought you would've tossed me onto an old mattress or something, seeing as I'm awake."

He gets the reference, shaking his head in response. "Why is it that you always seem to remember me in a bad light?"

"Because we're enemies. I'm a Grimm. You're the Story. You think I tried to assassinate you." His face darkens for a moment, and I hurry forward. "I think I tried to heal you. I can point to numerous occasions where I could say you ruined my life."

"It doesn't have to be that way." I can feel him pull me slightly closer, and I don't know what to make of it. "If you would just give me the dagger..."

I shake my head. "No deal."

"Well, it was worth a shot." He shrugs, smile gone, and I look ahead at the empty, dark road we're trudging along on.

"So..." I try to think of something to talk about after a few minutes of awkward silence. Then, I get one, and look back up at him. "Annalora? You have all of these Fae girls to choose from, and yet you chose Annalora?"

"I knew she'd get to you, so I decided to bring her. She seems to think that it's a serious thing though." I try to not shift under his gaze, not sure what to think of it. "Are you jealous?"

I blanch, thankful that he's holding me because I would've fallen if I was standing. "Jealous of Annalora because she's with you? Please. May I remind you that I have a boyfriend?"

He glares a little. "Oh, yes. Brody Carmichael. A real knight in shining armor."

"If you didn't like him, you shouldn't have involved him in the quests." I retort.

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever, Elle Cinders. My magic has almost recovered from the crash, so I'll just be able to teleport to your house in a few minutes."

I shake my head. "Okay." Then, I give a big yawn, but I end up pulling my head back with a small gasp of pain. "Ow, that hurts."

He looks concerned for a moment, but the emotion is quickly replaced by a straight face. "I guess before I take you to your house, I should heal you."

"That would be nice, yes." I answer. "So I suppose you won't do it, seeing as it's nice to me."

"How you wound me." He responds, waving a hand over me as a cold fills my body. I can practically feel all of my injuries fixing themselves, and while it's not necessarily unpleasant, it's not a feeling I want to experience again. "Now, let's get you home."

* * *

 **Wow! Okay, that was the longest writing thing I have done, and I've been working on this for a few days now. cx How did you guys like it? Was it good? Bad? Do you guys hate me for the ships I did? XD I know they weren't super intense for certain ones, but on the other hand, I included some not loved ships in them. :p Hopefully you guys liked the long one-shot! I'll be working on updates now, but I had this idea and really wanted to do it. To be honest, I want to do a few more one-shots that'll make all of you call for my blood, because I'd love to do some not-exactly-popular ship ones. I have a few ideas, as well as for some liked ship ideas, but I'll hold back. Remember to let me know what you think in a review!**

 **Also, if you have any ideas for one-shots I should do (or any ships I should experiment with, with my OCs or actual characters), let me know in a review!**

 **Fun fact time! Originally, I was going to have Savannah be Teague's date, but I thought Nan might not be as accepting of that. Plus, I decided Annalora would open up more opportunities to have Mina make different comments, and Annalora would make you guys more mad. :D So that's why it was her. And my other fun fact is that defenestration is a real word. It means "the action of throwing someone or something out of a window." Pretty close to what Teaguee did, am I right?**

 **Anyways, keep being awesome! ^-^**

 **~ Dagger**


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